Excerpts from the talk:
'Pillars and Rays'
That is the Lord’s typical pattern, brothers and sisters. Rather than sending us a pillar of light, the Lord sends us a ray of light, and then another, and another.
Those rays of light are continuously being poured down upon us. The scriptures teach that Jesus Christ “is the light and … life of the world,” that His “Spirit giveth light to every man [and woman] that cometh into the world,” and that His light “fill[s] the immensity of space,” giving “life to all things.”
The Light of Christ is literally all around us.
He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death. Mosiah 16:9
The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.Doctrine and Covenants 88:12–13
If we have received the gift of the Holy Ghost and are striving to exercise faith, repent, and honor our covenants, then we are worthy to receive these divine rays constantly. In Elder David A. Bednar’s memorable phrase, “we are ‘living in revelation.’”
And yet, every one of us is different.
No two people experience God’s light and truth in exactly the same way. Take some time to think about how you experience the light and Spirit of the Lord. You may have experienced these bursts of light and testimony as “peace [spoken] to your mind concerning [a] matter” that has worried you.
Doctrine and Covenants 6:23
Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter?
What greater witness can you have than from God?
Or as an impression—a still, small voice—that settled “in your mind and in your heart” and urged you to do something good, such as helping someone.
“Always expecting the spectacular, many will missentirely the constant flow of revealed communication.”
Spencer W. Kimball
Perhaps you’ve been in a class at church—or at a youth camp—and felt a strong desire to follow Jesus Christ and stay faithful. Maybe you even stood and shared a testimony that you hoped was true and then felt it was.
Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.
And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul—Helaman 5:30
And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.
Doctrine and Covenants 11:12
Or maybe you’ve been praying and felt a joyful assurance that God loves you.
You may have heard someone bear testimony of Jesus Christ, and it touched your heart and filled you with hope.
You may have felt the love of God for others as you served them.
Or maybe you struggle to feel the Spirit in the moment because of depression or anxiety but have the precious gift and the faith to look back and recognize past “tender mercies of the Lord.”
My point is that there are many ways to receive heavenly rays of testimony. These are just a few, of course. They may not be dramatic, but all of them form part of our testimonies.
These are some of my rays. You have had your own experiences—your own light-filled bursts of testimony. As we recognize, remember, and gather these rays “together in one,” something wonderful and powerful begins to happen.
“Light cleaveth unto light”—
“truth embraceth truth.”
The reality and power of one ray of testimony reinforces and combines with another, and then another, and another.
Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a ray and there a ray—one small, treasured spiritual moment at a time—there grows up within us a core of light-filled, spiritual experiences.
Perhaps no one ray is strong enough or bright enough to constitute a full testimony, but together they can become a light that the darkness of doubt cannot overcome.
“O then, is not this real?” Alma asks.
“I say unto you, Yea, because it is light.”
“That which is of God is light,” the Lord teaches us,
“and he that receiveth light,
and continueth in God,
receiveth more light;
and that light groweth brighter and brighter
until the perfect day.”
That means, brothers and sisters, that in time and through “great diligence,” we too can have our own pillar of light—
one ray at a time.
And in the midst of that pillar,
we too will find a loving Heavenly Father calling us by name,
pointing us to our Savior, Jesus Christ,
and inviting us to “Hear Him!”
I bear witness of Jesus Christ, that
He is the light and life of the whole world—
and of your personal world and mine.
May we recognize and receive His glorious light
and then choose Him over the darkness of the world—
always and forever.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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