Asking questions is a key to getting revelation. Without asking, we can’t receive.
John 16:24. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
While serving on my mission, I remember one night pondering what it meant to be endowed. I had only been able to go through the temple twice before going into the mission field, and I was largely ignorant of what it meant for me as a missionary. I remember kneeling down to pray that night and asking God, what it meant to be endowed. Up to that point in my life, I had never had a direct answer to a prayer, but in that moment I heard “Doctrine and Covenants 11:21” in my mind. As I knelt there, I had no idea what that verse was. I couldn’t remember anything about it. I wasn’t certain it was an answer until I opened my scriptures and read it.
21. Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.
As I read this verse several times, it was apparent to me that God had first, answered my prayer. Second, he had opened my eyes to an important truth. Third, he gave me direction as to what course of action to take. If I obtained the word, through study and faith, and obtained the spirit, he would loose my tongue and direct my abilities to use his power to touch others in a way to convince them of the truth. As a missionary representative of Jesus Christ, I had to be endowed to take his name upon me, but more importantly, I now represented him and needed to teach as he did so that none would doubt the words.
I share that example to let you know that God does answer prayers but often it isn’t in the moment because the timing is off, or we aren’t asking the right questions.
Asking Good Questions
The key to getting a good answer from the Lord is by asking good questions.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, “There are more good answers than we have good questions” (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, pg. 9).
This is true in every secular field as well as the spiritual realm. If we aren’t getting answers, we might need to work out the question better.
I find that when I read the scriptures, I am often asking little questions in my mind, but when I commit the question to paper (or digital paper), I can refine the question by doing drafts and revisions to perfect it. Over the years of doing this, I have found many valuable insights into the scriptures that have taught me things through revelation that I never would have received if I hadn’t asked specific questions.
Sometimes a question leads to more questions. As I was just browsing my notes for an example, I saw where I asked a question and proceeded to write 13 more questions instead of any answers. However, those questions took me much deeper into the question than the original question did. It was still revelation prompting me to dig deeper and think instead of just letting the first question go unwritten and then moments later become forgotten.
The key is to write down your questions and if you review it and find it to be awkwardly worded or see another way to approach it, you refine it until it’s what it needs to be.
Asking Questions in the Scriptures
In Scripture Notes, there are 3 ways or areas in which you can ask questions.
1) Verse notes
Next to each verse in Scripture Notes is a box of near infinite worth. :) It is where you type your questions, answers, and insights that relate directly to that verse. To receive the benefit of that box, it must be used. Of course, not every box may be used in a given chapter, but each box is an invitation to revelation.
Verse notes expand as you type more notes. You can copy/paste lengthy quotes in. There’s no limit. The box will expand to a height of 20 rows, after which it will let you scroll up and down through the note to view everything.
2) Collection notes tied to a verse
The next opportunity you have is to go deeper with a verse by converting it to a collection note. Clicking the top icon to the right of a verse note will create a collection note from this verse and give you greater space and freedom to type in more detail about this verse.
For example creating a collection note from this verse, we would then ask a question in the title box, add tags, and in the category box put “question & answer.”
Your primary verse is attached below the master note area. In the master note area, start typing your answer. If you feel prompted to search for more scriptures, find them and drag them into the verse area below to add them to this note. There will be future features that enhance this even more.
3) Collection notes on topics
As you read the scriptures and “receive” a question on a topic, you should pay attention. The Lord is trying to teach you something. For example, in Isaiah 53:1, what is the significance of the arm of the Lord that is mentioned?
Do a search for “arm and Lord” and create a collection note from it. Start asking questions, pondering, praying, reading the verses, and answering the questions. As you can see in this image, you can ask many questions on a topic, read the scriptures, and discover answers through study, and by faith (revelation).
Writing questions invites and leads to answers. Asking better questions leads to getting better answers. Asking specific questions leads to specific answers while asking general questions leads to general answers.
These methods of scripture study will yield you incredible results. No matter what tool you use, you need to be writing and journaling about your studies.
Many of the greatest revelations we enjoy in the Doctrine and Covenants were the result of Joseph Smith asking questions. The same can be seen in the Bible and Book of Mormon by people that inquired of the Lord and received guidance.
Amen. Great topic! I agree that asking the right questions is critical to personal revelation.
In my experience, there’s a big difference between “reading” and “searching” the scriptures. Reading is often a passive activity performed to check a box or gain more knowledge, both of which are good things. However, there is a better way, involving actively searching by asking questions and then seeking answers by reading, pondering, praying, recording, and acting.
The following guidance has influenced and enhanced my own process of feasting upon the scriptures.
In President Russell M. Nelson’s Oct 2000 conference address ‘Living by Scriptural Guidance’, he says, “Achieving scriptural guidance is aided by posing pertinent questions. You might ask, ‘What principle can be learned from these teachings of the Lord?’”
and
“Motivation for scriptural guidance comes when important choices must be made—even between options that are equally right. The Brethren are often faced with these kinds of decisions. On such an occasion, we may read all of the standard works afresh, looking for insights relative to a specific issue .”
In Elder Richard G. Scott’s Oct 2009 conference address ‘To Acquire Spiritual Guidance’, he says, “…I began to receive personal impressions…they came in answer to my prolonged, prayerful efforts to learn…As each impression came, I carefully wrote it down…After each powerful impression was recorded, I pondered the feelings I had received to determine if I had accurately expressed them in writing…Subsequently I prayed, reviewing with the Lord what I thought I had been taught by the Spirit. When a feeling of peace came, I thanked Him for the guidance given. I was then impressed to ask, “Was there yet more to be given?” I received further impressions, and the process of writing down the impressions, pondering, and praying for confirmation was repeated. Again I was prompted to ask, “Is there more I should know?” And there was. When that last, most sacred experience was concluded, I had received some of the most precious, specific, personal direction one could hope to obtain in this life. Had I not responded to the first impressions and recorded them, I would not have received the last, most precious guidance.”
In James E. Faulconer’s book series titled “The Old Testament Made Harder: Scripture Study Questions” (note: he wrote a “Made Harder” book for each of the standard works), he states, “…questions are for one particular kind of study [close reading]…This kind of study is essential to understanding the message the scriptures have for us. I recommend that as you study you keep a notepad and pen at hand so that you can jot down your questions…the more the questions you take up…the more you are likely to benefit from your study.”
My experience with the scriptures and the spirit is so much better when I approach them with a mindset of humility seeking to identify questions and answers as opposed to merely reading them with an attitude of “I already know these words and stories, which I’ve previously read countless times before”.
To avoid getting bogged down with crafting the perfect question, I’ve found that starting out with a simple question gets me into “action/search” mode. Once knee-deep into the searching process, my question is refined, enhanced, and naturally leads to additional questions. The journey of searching the scriptures for answers to questions–often about the scriptures themselves–is always rewarding and leads me to a rewarding destination that wasn’t anticipated at the beginning.
I like following along with audio in Gospel App. Does Scripture Note have this capability?
Not yet, but that is on the feature roadmap.