We can’t help but think of the words of James on the subject of personal revelation, If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him (James 1:5). This passage, which sent young Joseph into the grove to pray, changed his life forever, marked the beginning of his discipleship, and spawned the Restoration. Similarly, each of us can have a life-changing experience which will forever define our discipleship if we apply Moroni’s promise to the Book of Mormon. Whatever “grove” we enter when we lack wisdom, we will also learn, in a less dramatic way, that the Lord giveth to all men liberally and that by the power of the Holy Ghost, [we] may know the truth of all things.
Anthony W. Ivins
"[Elder Ivins tells the story of returning home to find a wayward childhood friend] I found this man there, presiding as bishop of one of the wards! I found one of his sons the bishop of another ward. I found another son president of the Mutual Improvement Association; and one or two of the boys had been on missions. He had a splendid home there, presided over in dignity by his good wife.
"I looked at it all with wonder, and he smiled and said, ’I know what you are thinking about.’
"I said, ’Tell me how it all happened.’
"’Well,’ he said, ’you know that I was going just the way my brothers went.’
"’Yes,’ I said, ’that is what surprises me.’
"’My parents had always taught me a better way,’ he said; ’they had urged me to read the scriptures, and finally I decided that I would read the Book of Mormon, and I did while I was freighting. I read it through, and when I came to certain words in the last chapter of Moroni, I was very deeply impressed with them.’ These are the words to which he referred: (Moroni 10:2-4)
“He said, ’When I read those words, I thought I would put the Lord to the test, and I stopped my team, wrapped the lines around the brake, and got down from that high seat, on one of those old-fashioned California wagons that were common in early days, and I turned off from the road; and…went around behind some rocks where no one could see me, kneeled down there, and thought I would pray, and I couldn’t say a word.”
"Have any of you boys and girls ever tried to pray for the first time and found it difficult to say a word? There is always someone right there near you telling you you cannot pray, and it would not do any good if you did. That is one of the devices of the enemy of truth to prevent you from placing yourself in harmony with the Lord.
“’But,’ he said, ’by making a great effort I managed to appeal to the Lord, told him that I wanted to know the truth, and I want to tell you that those fellows on the day of Pentecost never received a stronger testimony than I did; I felt that I was surrounded by consuming fire, and I got up on my feet knowing just as well that the Lord lived, that Christ was the Redeemer of the world, that the gospel had been restored through the prophet Joseph Smith, and that the Book of Mormon is a divine record, as I knew that I was there; and I got on to my wagon, drove home, left the road and came up here, located on this quarter section of land, and you can see the rest.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1919, p. 175-77)
Parley P. Pratt
"…I called at [Mr. Hamlin’s] house, where, for the first time, my eyes beheld the `BOOK OF MORMON’--that book of books … which was the principal means, in the hands of God, of directing the entire course of my future life.
"I opened it with eagerness, and read its title page. I then read the testimony of several witnesses in relation to the manner of its being found and translated. After this I commenced its contents by course. I read all day; eating was a burden, I had no desire for food; sleep was a burden when the night came, for I preferred reading to sleep.
“As I read, the spirit of the Lord was upon me, and I knew and comprehended that the book was true, as plainly and manifestly as a man comprehends and knows that he exists.” (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, pp. 36-37).
Eldred G. Smith
“When we receive promptings from the Holy Ghost, it is like opening an imaginary door between the spirit mind and the mortal mind. When this happens, we receive knowledge which we cannot deny.” (Conference Report, Apr. 1963, p. 18)