Keep Listening
Jesus with the Nephites shortly after His resurrection.
3Nephi 11: 3-4
And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.
And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not.
God invites each of us to listen to His voice through Jesus Christ and His prophets.
When the people of Nephi heard the voice of God, the scriptures tell us that they “had heard a voice but they understood it not; nevertheless, it did pierce them to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake.”
I believe the people of Nephi felt the power of God even before they understood His words.
Like the people of Nephi, we can feel God’s love and power simply by being willing to listen. We listen as we read the scriptures, study His words, ponder, and pray. We may not fully understand a teaching, a commandment, or a principle right away. We may have questions that remain unanswered. But if we are willing to keep listening, we can receive a testimony of Jesus Christ and His divinity.
Just before the people of Nephi heard the voice, destruction had befallen them. There was darkness for three days. They were in a state of wanting.
Wanting to see.
Wanting to hear.
Wanting answers.
Their hearts were broken. They were hungry for deliverance. Hungry for comfort. Hungry to know what would happen next.
And then they heard His voice.
I think there are times in our own lives when we find ourselves in that same place. We do not understand what is happening. We do not know what comes next. We have questions and desperately want answers.
But it is often in these moments that we turn to God with our whole hearts.
When we come to Him with our broken hearts and our desire to hear Him, we will feel His Spirit and His power. We may not understand everything He is trying to teach us right away, but we can feel His presence. We can feel His love. We can feel His power.
And as we keep listening, studying, pondering, and seeking Him, we will eventually receive the understanding we so desperately need.
Sometimes that understanding comes quickly. Sometimes it comes little by little. And sometimes we may not fully understand until the life to come.
But God is speaking.
We just need to keep listening.