This is sort of the flip side of my last post, which was about conversion stories. This time I want to talk about receiving the testimonies of others. Let's look at some examples.
First we go to king Lamoni and his wife, the queen. "as [Lamoni] arose, he stretched forth his hand unto the woman, and said: Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art thou. For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now, when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the Spirit" (Alma 19:12-13).
The queen had previously felt the spirit of the Lord and had the start of a testimony from Ammon's prophecy that her husband would arise. When Lamoni arose from his bed, the Queen received his testimony, felt the spirit's profound presence and was overcome by the power of her husband's words. Her strength left her and she fell to the floor beside king Lamoni.
The king's servants had a similar experience: "
Now, when the servants of the king had seen that they had fallen, they also began to cry unto God, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them also, for it was they who had stood before the king and testified unto him concerning the great power of Ammon... And it came to pass that they did call on the name of the Lord, in their might, even until they had all fallen to the earth" (Alma 19:15-16).
The servants, who had seen Ammon in action, both in defending the king's flocks and in teaching the king, felt the power of Lamoni's brief testimony. They were motivated to pray and were all overcome by the powerful spiritual manifestation, sinking to the floor by their king and queen.
Ammon, like the king, the queen, and the servants, was overcome by Lamoni's testimony and the spirit everyone in the room felt: "Ammon seeing the Spirit of the Lord poured out according to his prayers upon the Lamanites, his brethren, who had been the cause of so much mourning among the Nephites, or among all the people of God... he fell upon his knees, and began to pour out his soul in prayer and thanksgiving to God for what he had done for his brethren; and he was also overpowered with joy" (Alma 19:14).
I don't know about you, but I can't say that I have ever been overcome by the spirit to the point that I've fallen to the floor. I have been moved to tears, however, by the spiritual strength of some of the testimonies I've witnessed. But there have been other times (I'm embarrassed to admit) that I have not felt the spirit of the testimony that was being shared.
What about you? Have you sometimes felt the Holy ghost's presence during a testimony, and sometimes not? What was the difference?
It could be argued that one factor is the testimony itself... that when certain people share their testimony that it just isn't spiritual. Case in point - the travelogue testimony. I get very impatient when someone goes on and on in great detail about something that I have little interest in, and I tune them out. But when I do, I miss something... I miss out on understanding why the person who is testifying was inspired to stand up in the first place. More importantly, I miss out on the spirit that moved this person to stand and share. Who loses in that case? I do.
The are many reasons a person may miss the point of someone's testimony. Environmental factors (I'm hot; I'm cold; the seat is to hard) or personal circumstances (I'm mad at my spouse or child or neighbor; I don't feel well) can effectively block the spirit's influence. We may be distracted by insistent thoughts or persistent memories, or perhaps by a grumpy mood or by (my personal favorite) having inappropriate music stuck in your head.
Yes, there are myriad ways to miss the spiritual part of someone's testimony. However, there is great reward in pushing aside the distractions, in making the effort to feel the spirit of the testimony and finding the value of the message that is given. The Savior said "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (D&C 88:23).
So, what can be done to counteract the things that keep us from feeling the spirit? First, recognize that the effort is needed and will be rewarded (as indicated in section 88 shown above).
Second, preparation. If we recognize the things that distract us from feeling the spirit's influence, we must make an effort to eliminate the distractions. Repair and eliminate the distractions in advance. "But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. Therefore, if ye shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee— Go thy way unto thy brother, and first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I will receive you" (3 Nephi 12:22-24). Do the things that would invite the presence of the Holy Ghost into your life: Read and ponder the scriptures; pray often and sincerely; attend church meetings and attend to your calling. Arrive at church meetings with time to sit and contemplate to the sound of the quiet prelude music.
Next, we should realize that receiving a testimony is somewhat like adding a log to a campfire. If we receive and really feel the spirit of the testimony, our spirit burns brighter, and that spirit is likely to catch on to someone near by. "
That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (D&C 50:24). Of this passage, President Dieter Uchdorf said: "The more we incline our hearts and minds toward God, the more heavenly light distills upon our souls. And each time we willingly and earnestly seek that light, we indicate to God our readiness to receive more light. Gradually, things that before seemed hazy, dark, and remote become clear, bright, and familiar to us" ("Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth", The
Ensign, November 2014). Thinking in this vein, we actually have an obligation to spiritually 'get' the testimony being given.
One last thought to keep in mind: the Lord has said "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as [a] little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child [or a child's testimony] in my name receiveth me" (Matthew 18:4-6). When we receive a person's testimony - especially if we receive it joyfully - the Lord rejoices.
It is my hope and prayer that we each will labor diligently to receive the testimonies of others with gladness, and thus be spiritually rewarded by our loving heavenly Father.
Don
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