Lessons from the Doctrine and Covenants 2021
Lesson No. Twenty-Three

A Careful Balance Between Agency and Revelation

Somethings Matter to the Lord (being faithful and fulfilling assignments quickly) and Somethings Don’t – When some missionaries wondered whether they should buy or make a boat on which to travel, the Lord said to do “as seemeth you good, it mattereth not unto me.”  But the Lord did not want any procrastination, so He directed them to “take your journey speedily…” (D&C 60:5, emphasis added).  They wanted further guidance, and the Lord responded:  “And it mattereth not unto me… if it so be that they fill their mission, whether they go by water or by land; let this be as it is made known unto them according to their judgments hereafter” (D&C 61:22).  What the Lord wanted was for them to “fill their mission” and use their best judgment.  Then the question was whether they should travel as a group or go “two by two.”  The Lord instructed them to do “as seemeth you good, it mattereth not unto me; only be faithful…” (D&C 62:5, emphasis added).  Again, the Lord wanted them to make their own decision.  His only requirement was for them to be faithful.    

Agency – In life’s decisions, both big and small, we are expected to use our agency.  As children of Heavenly Parents we had the freedom to choose in the premortal existence, and we have it in this life, and we will have it in the eternities to come.  Agency is fundamental to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Because we know good from evil, and because we can choose between the two, we are accountable for our choices.  This is the way we grow spiritually and become like our Heavenly Parents. President Dallin H. Oaks taught: “A desire to be led by the Lord is a strength, but it needs to be accompanied by an understanding that our Heavenly Father leaves many decisions for our personal choices. Personal decision making is one of the sources of the growth we are meant to experience in mortality. Persons who try to shift all decision making to the Lord and plead for revelation in every choice will soon find circumstances in which they pray for guidance and don’t receive it. For example, this is likely to occur in those numerous circumstances in which the choices are trivial or either choice is acceptable. We should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment” (“Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall,” Ensign, Oct. 1994, 13-14).

Revelation, inspiration, and promptings of the Holy Spirit – We are also “commanded to seek the Lord, to desire his Spirit, to get the spirit of revelation and inspiration in our lives….We receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is the right to have the constant companionship of that member of the Godhead, based on faithfulness.  And so we’re faced with two propositions.  One is that we ought to be guided by the spirit of inspiration, the spirit of revelation.  The other is that we’re here under a direction to use our agency, to determine what we ought to do on our own, and we need to strike a fine balance between these two” (Bruce R. McConkie, Agency or Inspiration, BYU Devotional, February 27, 1973).

Choosing between good and evil we can rely on the promptings of the Holy Spirit – For a person who is sincerely trying to live the gospel the choice between good and evil is usually clear, especially if they have the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Being able to discern between good and evil is one of the great blessings of this precious gift.  We will stay on the path to eternal life if we use our agency and follow the revelation, inspiration, and promptings of the Holy Spirit when choosing between good and evil.

Good, better, and best decisions often require a careful balance between agency and revelation – Many of life’s important decisions, such as marriage, family, and employment are not questions between good and evil, they are questions of good, better, and best.  President Dallin H. Oaks taught this principle in landmark sermon.  (See Good, Better, and Best, Conference Report Oct 2007)  For example, some may think that because choosing a spouse is such an important decision that if we pray and fast the Lord will reveal who we should marry.  But this is not how it usually works.  The attraction between men and women is divinely appointed, and with that attraction the Lord expects us to first use our best judgment to decide who we want to live with for this life and for eternity.  After we become comfortable with our decision we then “counsel with the Lord…and he will direct [us] for good” (Alma 37:37).

A proper balance between agency and revelation requires self-reliance and humility – As we develop the willingness and courage to be self-reliant and use our divine gift of agency our ability to bless our family and build up the kingdom of God on the earth will increase. And if we humbly seek the Lord’s approval of our decisions and then follow His will “[our] confidence will wax strong in the presence of God” (D&C 121:45), and we will “know the joy of our redemption and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient” (Moses 5:11).