“When Our clear revelations are recited to them, those who do not expect to meet with Us say, ‘Bring us a different Qur’an, or change it.’ Prophet, say, ‘It is not for me to change it of my own accord; I only follow what is revealed to me, for I fear the torment of an awesome Day, if I were to disobey my Lord. … I lived a whole lifetime among you before it came to me. How can you not use your reason?’” (Quran, 10:15–16)
This is a sort of follow-up to last week’s quote, which emphasized that God is not limited in His ability to speak to us. Another facet of this is our tendency to want specific revelation about a specific subject on our specific timeline.
The problem with this attitude might seem obvious, but it’s also very easy to forget. We live in a world filled with injustices—social, geopolitical, natural—that far outnumber the definitive spiritual answers we’ve been given. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims to have inspired leaders but does not espouse prophetic infallibility. As a result, it can be easy to blame these perceived injustices and lack of answers on their failure to seek the proper remedial revelation.
Muhammed points out in this Sura—as did Jesus in the New Testament—that his ability to receive desirable divine instruction isn’t subject to his own whim, the whim of a human being who grew up just as mortal and limited as those around him. Rather, he relied on a higher source of inspiration which, unfortunately, did not always give the answers the people wanted.
Elder Dale G. Renlund, a Latter-day Saint apostle, puts this issue plainly:
“Seeking greater understanding is an important part of our spiritual development, but please be cautious. Reason cannot replace revelation. …
“Ever since God appointed prophets, they have been authorized to speak on His behalf. But they do not pronounce doctrines fabricated ‘of [their] own mind’ [Numbers 16:28] or teach what has not been revealed. … Latter-day prophets are similarly constrained. Demanding revelation from God is both arrogant and unproductive. Instead, we wait on the Lord and His timetable to reveal His truths through the means that He has established” (“Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny,” general conference, Apr. 2022).
While prophets are imperfect and we should absolutely seek answers to our questions where they may be found, it’s not up to us to judge when or how the next “big change” should happen. We ought to give our spiritual leaders the same grace Muhammed’s and Jesus’s contemporaries owed them—not blindly taking everything they say for granted, but rather developing the relationship with God requisite to discern between true messengers and preachers with ulterior motives. If you trust the messenger, then you can trust the message (or at least the essence of it) even if you don’t currently understand it.
With the Church’s general conference coming up this weekend, I think these would be useful ideas to bear in mind.
The Commonplace Notebook 