God's Not Speaking to Me--Now What?

Question 2: What do you do when you feel that you never receive personal revelation that God doesn't and won't speak to you?

What do you do?  Study the eternal laws of God that pertain to receiving and recognizing revelation.  Then live them.

I am.  He's still not speaking to me.

Reviewing some of those laws might help you recognize the revelation you are receiving.

“While there seems to be no exact formula by which each of us receives a testimony,” Elder Robert D. Hales reminds us, “there does seem to be a discernable pattern. Though prayer is important in gaining a testimony, we cannot merely ask in prayer for a testimony and expect it to be given immediately to us.

“Generally, testimony emerges over time and through life’s experiences.“

To accelerate testimony and the ultimate goal of “peace in me” (same as the fruits of the Spirit?) try following the Lord’s advice to Martin Harris.

            “Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me.”

            This is also the formula for gaining abundant life...(Elder Wirthlin and Pres. Monson’s steps that correlate to the Lord's commandments are in brackets)

Learn of Me (Drink Deeply of Living Water (Wirthlin), Fill your Mind with Truth (Monson) )

            How do we learn of the Lord’s life, atonement, covenants and dealings with mankind? We read and study in the scriptures.  This is what Abraham “friend of God” did, what Nephi killed Laban to obtain, what the Prophet Joseph suffered persecution to bring forth, and what we superficially glance through when we feel in the mood. 

            Perhaps a more in-depth study is needed.

Listen to my Words (Fill your heart with love (Wirthlin, Monson) )

Lindsay R. Curtis, a mission president in 1980, gave us this reminder about the way the Lord speaks to us:

“We must remember that the burning in the bosom is not the method of answering prayers that the Lord mentions the most. In revelations to Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and Hyrum Smith, the Lord talks about answering prayers by enlightening the mind, speaking peace to the mind, telling the person “in your mind and in your heart,” filling the soul with joy. He will speak to us in ways that will be most effective for our own conditions. We must learn to recognize how we feel when the Spirit is with us and when he is communicating to us.”

 “As you reach out to your Heavenly Father, as you pray to Him in the name of Christ, He will answer you. He speaks to us everywhere.

Listen for his voice in...

•    Scripture study
•    General conference  
•   At the temple and in church
•    In the bounties and beauties of nature    
•   Gentle whisperings of the Spirit 
•   In your daily interactions with  others
•   In the words of a hymn 
•   In the laughter of a child

If you listen for the voice of the Father, He will lead you on a course that will allow you to experience the pure love of Christ.” (Love of God, Uchtdorf, Ensign, Oct 2009)

Walk in the meekness of my Spirit (Make your Life a Masterpiece (Wirthlin), Fill your life with service (Monson))

What is ‘meekness’?

“A meek man is defined as one who is not easily provoked or irritated and forbearing under injury or annoyance.,” Pres. Harold B. Lee stated. “Meekness is not synonymous with weakness. The meek man is the strong, the mighty, the man of complete self-mastery. He is the one who has the courage of his moral convictions, despite the pressure of the gang or the club. In controversy his judgment is the court of last-resort and his sobered counsel quells the rashness of the mob. He is humble-minded; he does not bluster.”

            What is the Lord’s spirit like?          

“And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee,” the Lord told Hyrum Smith early in this dispensation, “put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.”

Revelation Received

Then the Lord gives this promise “...I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;

“And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.”

Conclusion:

            To hear the voice of the Lord takes time. Learning more about him, listening to his words and keeping his commandments helps us recognize his voice...

Further Reading:

Hearing the Voice of the Lord by Gerald N. Lund (book)

Revelation by Dallin H Oaks

Testimony by Dallin H Oaks

Importance of Receiving a Personal Testimony by Robert D. Hales

Pure Testimony by M Russell Ballard

Recognizing Answers to Prayer by Richard G. Scott

Waiting on the Road to Damascus by Dieter F Uchtdorf

Abundant Life by Joseph B. Wirthlin

"Be thou an Example" by Thomas S. Monson

How Can I make my Prayers more Meaningful? By Todd D. Christoffersen

I Have a Question, Jan 1980 Ensign

The Spirit of Revelation by David A. Bednar

--a gazillion other articles, books etc. --