There is a lot to say and teach about revelation. But if I had to choose just one way to begin, I would share a story from the life of Elder Dale G. Renlund.
This story teaches an important principle: revelation so often comes as we are out living life. Yes, we hear God’s voice in quiet moments of contemplation. But many times, the Lord teaches us in perfectly timed moments we may not expect. Life is a classroom, and God knows when to speak directly to one of His precious students.
God Speaks to Elder Renlund in Cambodia
In his book Learning to Listen, Elder Renlund writes about a time he and his wife, Ruth, were in Cambodia. During the visit, the Church announced a large donation to establish a cardiac hospital in Siem Reap. In response, Cambodian leaders arranged for the Renlunds to tour the royal palace grounds and a genocide museum.
“We were thrilled to go to the palace grounds, but I dreaded going to the genocide museum,” Elder Renlund writes. The museum is on a site where mass executions of approximately one million people were carried out in the late 1970s. Elder Renlund explains his experience:
“At the museum, the horrors of that period of history in Cambodia were starkly displayed. We stood next to a structure erected as a shrine that consisted of over eight thousand human skulls of individuals who had been executed using farm implements after their torture. As we stood there, I wondered, ‘Does the Atonement of Jesus Christ cover even this?’ As that thought rested in my mind, a flood of insight came to me. Putting words to the insight was not then and is not now possible; any attempt to do so cannot fully express that insight. It was as though I heard the Lord saying, ‘I’ve got this. You need not worry about these people. I will make even these atrocities right for them.’”
That is an impactful experience all on its own. But it becomes even more instructive when you realize that before that moment, Elder Renlund testified in general conference that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all “the consequences of unfairness to us will be resolved, mitigated, or lifted.”
The Apostle already knew that divine truth. But that day at the museum, the Lord taught Elder Renlund the same principle at what he calls “a different level.”
“The insight given that day—although I cannot describe it with words—continues to fill me with immense joy and comfort. This communication from the Spirit brought me a new appreciation for the depth and breadth of the Savior’s Atonement,” Elder Renlund writes.
I’m sure Elder Renlund felt God’s voice as he sat at his desk to study, ponder, and then write his general conference talk. And he received more revelation on the topic as he was out in the world living and serving.
His trip to the genocide museum seems to have given Elder Renlund another hook on which to hang his understanding of the breadth of the Savior’s Atonement.
God Speaks to Elijah in a Cave
This same principle of spiritual direction coming as we live is found in one of the most famous verses about revelation. In 1 Kings 19:11–12, the Lord speaks to the prophet Elijah:
“And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
“And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”
We often use this verse to teach that the Lord speaks in a “still small voice.” But we don’t always discuss what was going on in Elijah’s life at the time of this verse.
The prophet was discouraged because grand miracles had not converted the queen, Jezebel, or her priests to the Lord. Instead, the miracles enraged her. Elijah, fearing for his life, fled into the wilderness and hid in a cave. In that moment of deep distress, the Lord taught Elijah about how revelation works.
Like Elder Renlund, Elijah was prepared by his life experiences to hear and understand spiritual truths on a deeper level.
The Moments We Need It
Revelation often comes in the moment the Lord knows we need it. When the time is right, “the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding” (2 Nephi 31:3).
We can live with assurance that as we try to do what’s right, the Lord will give us what we need. Developing this trust often means shifting our mindset while waiting for answers. Author Dr. Aaron D. Franklin writes about a practical way his wife does this:
“Whenever she’s wondering about God speaking to her regarding a certain topic or question she’s praying about, instead of wondering ‘is He?’ she reassures herself that ‘He is.’ The simple rearrangement of two short words transforms uncertainty to confidence.”1
That certainty is the foundation I would want to establish when first teaching about revelation: He is speaking to us, and He is doing so in His perfect timing.
Understand the practice of personal revelation
More articles for you:
▶ 6 ways you might ‘hear’ the voice of the Spirit
▶ How one couple raised 8 kids to recognize the Spirit for themselves
▶ What I do now when God answers my prayers with silence
Note
1. Aaron D. Franklin, What Is Truth? Navigating a World of Faith, Science, and Noise (Deseret Book, 2025), 97–98.
