Questions

In every life, there come times of questioning.

Consider the soul pummeled by trials seeking to understand the answer to the vexing question “Why Me?” or the soul couched in ease and comfort pondering the question, “What’s the point?” or the harried soul overburdened by duty and responsibility wondering “What would Thou have me do Lord?” or perhaps the soul left alone in the world through the absence or death of loved ones crying “Where art thou Lord, and where are they?”

Our lives are framed by questions and who we think we are is often a reflection of the questions we think we have answered. And when we are uncertain, when there are gaps in our understanding, when we feel somehow incomplete, it is generally a reflection of questions left unanswered or perhaps questions we have answered wrong.

Questions pepper our lives daily, but few are very profound. In fact, most are simply procedural: “What’s next on the agenda?” “When should we have dinner?” “Where did I leave my wallet?” “Who let the dogs out?” – questions that may need to be answered to move us along our days, but which have little lasting effect on the quality or direction of our lives. In fact, with the pace and complexity of life accelerating as it is, these pedestrian concerns and questions multiply and often overtax us into thinking that we have no time or energy to stop and ponder the deeper, life-defining or life-altering questions.

But these deeper questions can’t be postponed or silenced forever. They nag at the soul like a mosquito on a hot summer night. Even the shallowest among us will one day ask, as do we all: “Who am I really? And what am I doing here?” These can be frustrating, even frightening questions to ask if you’ve never been taught how or where to find the answers. It is easy to see how so many get discouraged, wandering without direction from one philosophy to the next, some deciding that there are no answers, or that truth is relative, and march with the masses into the great and spacious building of Lehi’s dream, hoping the party there will be loud enough to drown out the buzzing of their mosquitoes, or with the prideful, trivialize the quest for truth altogether.

But that is the coward’s way. And those who succumb to the temptation to abandon the search are left with an emptiness, an isolating void that longs to connect with something real, something true, something eternal. That longing was implanted long ago, a premortal remnant perhaps of what we felt in the presence of God, in whose image and likeness we have been created, and whose divine spark impels us to Ask, to Seek, to Knock, to know again that which we knew before and to be added upon with even greater light and knowledge.

And so, we question.

Is there a God? If so, what is He like? Does He care for us? Can we know Him? Are there rules for this life? Is there right? Is there wrong? And when I choose wrong, can I be forgiven? How?

How grateful I am that our loving Father in Heaven has not left us to flounder in a sea of doubt and uncertainty, but from the very beginning has spoken to man and sent messengers bearing the everlasting gospel, countering fear and doubt with faith and revelation. How grateful I am that these messages of hope were accompanied by a command to write the vision, record the commandment, engrave the plates, preserve the scrolls, remember the stories and pass them on to future generations.

In a world of so many questions, how grateful I am for scripture, both ancient and modern. Nowhere else are the answers to so many of life’s greatest questions found, combined and concentrated in a form now so accessible that man is left without excuse. As commanded by our Lord:

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.  (John 5:39)

A couple of weeks ago, I was just sitting down in Priesthood Opening Exercises when I felt a tap on my shoulder. The Primary President had come looking for someone to chaperon a substitute for a combined sunbeam and 4-yr-old class, whose regular teachers were both on vacation.

I don`t think I had been in Primary for at least a decade, and other than helping manage a couple wiggle worms, my role that day was mostly just as an observer. The thing that stood out most prominently about that day was how much love there is in the Primary: love of the children for their teachers – even if the teacher is a sub, love of the teachers for each child in their classes, love of the Presidency and the Music people for all the kids, and the palpable love of the Savior for everyone there. It was wonderful.

I learned a new Primary song, how to sign the chorus to Families Can Be Together Forever, and how to sing the 9th Article of Faith:

We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

After singing this last song, Sister Carter, our Primary President, asked if anyone knew what the words of the 9th Article of Faith meant. Now, usually in Primary there will be at least one kid who will jump at the chance to answer any question whether he or she knows the answer or not (pick me!) and when you do pick one of these kids, they get this wild look in their eyes as they realize they didn’t really listen to the question and are not at all sure what was asked and so resort to some all purpose answer that, given the odds, might just fit the question ("umm, Jesus loves us?").

Well, this time all those kids must have been on vacation because not a single hand went up. So after an awkward pause, I raised my hand halfway up, while inside my head I was going “Ooh, pick me, pick me!” Yeah, I was one of those kids. So when Sister Carter looked over and saw my hand up, in desperation she picked me. And I suddenly realized that although I knew the answer, I wasn’t at all sure how to express it in a way that sunbeams and 4-year-olds could understand. After a moment of panic, I was about to say “Um, Jesus loves us,” when the Spirit whispered something else. Whew!

I told the children that the 9th Article of Faith means that Heavenly Father is still talking. He spoke to prophets long ago; he still speaks to our prophet Thomas B. Monson today and He will keep on talking as long as we are ready to listen and obey.

I got a big smile from Sister Carter and even the wiggle worm sitting next to me looked up at me and said, “You`re funny.”

Now I think we would all agree that it is a great blessing to have the scriptures, but I am reminded of a quote by Mark Twain who said that “the man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” Even so, the man who does not study his scriptures has no advantage over the man who has none to study.

I have a friend in the 4th ward with whom I often ride the train to work in the mornings. I am inspired by his commitment to the words of the prophets as day in and day out I see him with the latest conference edition of the Ensign or a set of scriptures, reading, studying and highlighting various passages. This is a man who has faced some fairly severe challenges and trials in recent years, but you wouldn’t know it from talking to him. He has a genuinely cheerful, strong and optimistic outlook and serves faithfully and well in a demanding calling. And I wonder if the strength with which he meets life might not somehow be connected to his diligent study on the train each day.  Here is a man who probably has cause to question as much as any man, but he has the advantage of knowing how to find the answers, and has put that knowledge to use.

We have all heard stories or maybe have even experienced ourselves times when some question had been plaguing us, and having prayed earnestly for guidance, have opened the scriptures at random and our eyes have locked on to some verse or chapter that revealed the answer we were looking for.

Yes, I`ve had this happen before, but only once. And I`ve never heard of it happening more than once to anyone else either.  Perhaps this is just the Lord’s way of pointing out to us, in loving exasperation, where we need to spend our time looking for answers.

It’s like an experience I had as a fairly new Bishop when some question of administration came up that I was unfamiliar with, so I went to the Stake President for counsel. Melvin Gardiner was president at the time, a man known to be a Master of the General Handbook of Instructions which, by the way, is scripture for anyone in a priesthood leadership position.

President Gardiner smiled his great smile and said he wasn’t going to answer my question, but referred me to chapter, section, column and position about a third of the way down on the page of the Handbook where I could look up my answer, and suggested that future administrative questions might similarly be found by referring to the Handbook rather than bothering him.

It was a valuable lesson. President Gardiner could have just answered my question, but he knew that I would be a better Bishop if I would become more familiar with the Handbook myself rather than relying on Him to answer all my questions. And if a little embarrassment was the price I should pay for that lesson, so be it. I never did ask another administrative question of President Gardiner, not for fear of further embarrassment, but because I found the answers to every one of my questions where they were meant to be found - in the Handbook.

I think the Lord does the same for us. We plead with Him in prayer to help us see our way forward or overcome some obstacle, and sometimes all we are met with is silence. But God’s silence does not mean that He cares not for our predicament. Sometimes His silence is the answer: an answer which often means, “I’ve already told you the answer. It’s in the scriptures. Go look it up.”  Yes, he could answer directly, but He knows that we will be stronger, more capable children if we will make the effort to become more familiar with all His words as recorded in Holy Writ.

I add my testimony to those of countless prophets, apostles, stake presidents, bishops, quorum presidents, and most influential of all, faithful mothers and fathers and other great teachers, who have told us time and again that daily scripture study builds a foundation upon which testimony is not only framed, but is girded up and fortified against the onslaught of the adversary’s fiery darts. It’s a simple formula; Daily study coupled with daily prayer equals daily strength.

Now, you may have noticed that so far I have avoided using the phrase “reading the scriptures.” I acknowledge the fact that any exposure to the scriptures is better than nothing. But may I suggest that scriptures are different from today’s popular novels or other reading material, and so, to get the most out of them, they need to be read differently, at least for personal study.

When we first learned to read stories or articles or textbooks in school, we learned that we just start at the beginning and move through to the end. But that perhaps is not the best way to read scripture, especially if we are reading to find the answers to questions we might have.

I can’t say with any authority that I know the best way to study scriptures. There are probably more ways than you can shake a stick of Joseph at. But I think it is valuable, however you choose to study, to begin by asking questions. Take some time to ponder on principles of the gospel that perhaps you are less knowledgeable about or even less committed to.

Is there anything about the gospel you feel uncertain about? Ask the question. God does not generally reveal anything unless He is asked first. I think it may have something to do with His gift of free agency. As one of our Hymns says, God will never force the human mind. Rather, He awaits the questions.

Consider the boy Joseph Smith investigating the various religions of the day and pondering on how he could possibly find out which church was true. That question was on his mind as he opened the scriptures and came upon James 1:5

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

We may talk a lot about Joseph’s First Vision, and rightly so. But Joseph’s first revelation was the one found in the scriptures which entered with great force into every feeling of his heart and led him to the grove. In that first revelation is an answer for all who have spiritual questions: Let them ask of God.

But first you may have to do a little ground work. Like Joseph, who visited the various churches in the area beforehand, you may have to search for information on the topic you are interested in. At the very least, search the topical guide to find out which chapters might be meaningful or related to your question. You might search LDS.ORG for conference talks or other references on the subject. I know it means taking a little more time, but truly effective scripture study takes a little planning.

Clayton Christensen, a prominent Mormon author, Harvard Professor and innovation expert, in his book called “The Power of Everyday Missionaries,” suggested a method which he teaches to his friends who have agreed to investigate the church. He asks them to write down their top two or three questions about religion. Then he and the missionaries will help them find chapters in the Book of Mormon related to those questions.

This is the groundwork or preparation for the real work of scripture study.
Next Brother Christensen suggests a specific 7-step homework assignment to find the answers:

1. Pray, on your knees, aloud, telling God about your questions and that you are going to study about them. Ask Him to help you understand the things you are going to read.
2. Read the assigned chapters.
3. Write your answers, in draft form, to your questions.
4. Kneel again in verbal prayer and explain to God the answers you have written, just as if you were talking to Him face-to-face. Then tell Him you are going to read the chapters one more time. Ask Him again to please help you understand even more deeply the answers that He would want you to give to these questions as you read.
5. Read the chapters again.
6. Revise your answers, based upon your deeper understanding. These written answers are the homework assignment that the investigator needs to bring to their next meeting with the missionaries.
7. Then kneel again and pray a third time. But the purpose of this prayer will be different. This time you need to ask God if the things which you have written, and the things which you have read, are true.

To summarize this method, after preparing to study, it’s Pray, Read, Write, Pray, Read, Write, then Pray again. I know this may sound daunting when you are having a hard time squeezing even ten minutes of study into your day, but boy doesn’t it sound like it would be effective?

The point is that for scripture study to really bless your life, it needs to find a prominent place in your daily priorities, and if you can squeeze in some preparation and prayer and some way of recording what you have learned, all the better. It doesn’t have to be this exact process, but again, if we want to get more out of the scriptures than we get out of today’s best-selling novel, we need to use them as they were meant to be used, as a way to examine and, if necessary, to change our lives.

And what kind of changes can we expect? What are the blessings of this kind of purposeful, focused scripture study? Depends on what you need. Need to strengthen your resistance to temptation? Study the scriptures. Nephi, in explaining to his brothers the meaning of the iron rod in Lehi’s dream said, “it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.”

Want your kids to do better in school? Read scriptures with them. One of the things my wife and I did right when our children were young was to gather them around the breakfast table each day and read a chapter of the Book of Mormon together. I can testify that even though the young ones might not have understood everything we read, they at least became familiar with the language of the scriptures and were blessed with an understanding that these books, these words, were important – more important than any other books in the house, because we didn’t read those books every day – although for a time, the Harry Potter series had a pretty good nightly run. But that daily out-loud scripture study had other benefits. All my kids became excellent readers and excellent students. If you can read scripture with confidence, anything from J.K. Rowling to William Shakespeare is a breeze.

My kids are older now, but we still try to get up in time to read a chapter or two together before the first person leaves the house, and I testify that this practice has strengthened me and my family for our daily struggles, with greater joy and confidence and power to withstand the temptations that swirl about us.

Whatever your righteous desire, to be a better missionary or home teacher, to get more excited about family history work, to know how better to deal with problems at work or school or home, study the scriptures. Prayerfully ask for Heavenly Father’s guidance, then open up his handbook and drink in the living waters. Consistent, faithful study will build a foundation of wisdom and faith that can weather any storm, and when paired with a commitment to serve your fellows, will make you an invaluable instrument in the hand of God to build his Kingdom.

One final story: When I first moved to West Jordan about 30 years ago, I was called to be a counselor in the Bishopric and served under my next door neighbor who had been called as Bishop just a few weeks after moving into the ward.  We served for about three years together and I really came to love my calling and working with this good man. But one day we found ourselves in need of a new Teacher’s Quorum Advisor as the current advisor moved out of the ward. We struggled with the Spirit to find a replacement. No matter who we considered, it just didn’t feel right. We prayed as a Bishopric for guidance but just couldn’t seem to find the right person for the job. After about three weeks of this struggle, I was reading in Alma 38 and came upon verse 10 which says:

And now, as ye have begun to teach the word even so I would that ye should continue to teach.

As soon as I read those words, I knew that I was supposed to be teaching, that I was supposed to be the new Teacher’s Quorum Advisor. But how was I supposed to tell the Bishop this without sounding like I was abandoning the Bishopric? I worried about it the rest of that week, until the Bishop called me in for a PPI, and before I could say anything, he tearfully told me that though he hated to lose me, he thought the Lord wanted me to be the new Teacher’s Quorum Advisor.

I testify that the blessings of scripture study are worth the time and effort to make it a regular part of your daily routine and a part of your family routine. Those who have tried to do so and failed, try again. The words of President Hinckley might be of some encouragement:

“I am grateful for emphasis on reading the scriptures. I hope that for you this will become something far more enjoyable than a duty; that, rather, it will become a love affair with the word of God. I promise you that as you read, your minds will be enlightened and your spirits will be lifted. At first it may seem tedious, but that will change into a wondrous experience with thoughts and words of things divine.”

Yes, God is still talking. And those who consistently spend time in the scriptures, both personally and as families, will hear His voice in those sacred pages. Questions will be answered, spirits will be lifted and testimonies will be fortified.