YOUR Upcoming Conversation with Jesus Christ

Walking among us, right now, are two groups of people: First, a few who have come to know the Lord in a truly sacred, sublime ("awe-inspiringly grand, excellent, or impressive") way: They have seen Him, and conversed with Him, face to face.

The second: those who are earnestly seeking, striving and awaiting the day when they, too, can meet their Savior while still in mortality.

I have known many of these devout seekers for years. They are my best friends and my adopted extended family. Several (in the second group) have come to me, with their spirits anguishing and tears flowing, because they know of others who weren't seeking an audience with Christ, and had one. Yet my friends have sought Him diligently, and have not seen Him.

Maybe you've felt the same way.

I agree that such an experience would be transcendent above anything and everything this earth can offer.

Unfortunately, it doesn't last forever. It doesn't last for months, weeks or days. Instead, although it is unrushed, it likely lasts minutes, not hours. You see Him, you weep tears of humility before His still-pierced feet, you see his smile and hear His words for you, you mumble out some questions which He answers and, after a while, the experience is over.

Yet it doesn't need to be this way.

The scriptures are filled with examples of ordinary people, just like you and me, who did the extraordinary: they sought God diligently, and listened for Him.

Then, something remarkable happened:

They heard Him.

Then they asked Him a question.

And He answered.

It's no wonder that "It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God" (Joseph Smith Jr., Teachings, p. 345). In other words, one of the foundation stones of the restored gospel is a not only knowledge of what kind of being God actually is, but also knowledge of God.

That's why Brother Joseph further stated, "If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves" (Joseph Smith Jr., Teachings, p. 343) and "If any man does not know God, . . . he will realize that he has not eternal life; for there can be eternal life on no other principle" (Joseph Smith Jr., Teachings, p. 344). That's why the Savior, in His great high-priestly or Intercessory Prayer, confirmed that life eternal was to "know . . . the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [the Father] hast sent" (John 17:3).

Thus, everything of sacred significance connected with our future rests on both our coming to know about God and, ultimately, our coming to know Him.

Word of God Speak

In my immediate preceding posts (click here for links to all of them), I provided some concepts for you to consider. Because they are firmly rooted in scriptural precedent, they have the potential to help you accurately align with God and hear Him.

And, once you have heard Him, your life will never, ever be the same.

Adam walked and talked with God. So did Enoch and Noah. True, they were prophets. However, as Brother Joseph said:

"There are certain characters that walked with God, saw him, conversed about heaven &c. God is not a respecter of persons, we all have the same privilege. Come to God weary him until he blesses you &c-we are entitled to the same blessings, Jesus, revelations, Just Men &-Angels &c. &c. not Laying again the doctrine of Christ go on unto perfection. Obtain that holy Spirit of promise-Then you can be sealed to Eternal Life." (Joseph Smith, The Words of Joseph Smith: The Contemporary Accounts of the Nauvoo Discourses of the Prophet Joseph, compiled and edited by Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook, p. 13-15; emphasis mine)

He also said:

"In this number will be found an extract from the prophecy of Enoch, which was received by revelation, soon after the organization of the church, and first published in the 'Evening and Morning Star.' As it is a relic, too precious to be lost, we extract it for the benefit of the readers of the Times and Seasons. It gives us a specimen of the power Enoch obtained with God, by faith, for we are told 'that by faith Enoch walked with God, and was not, for God took him.' We trust that it will prove a stimulus, to the saints, to action, when they read of the great blessings enjoyed by the ancients and consider that they were men of like passions with ourselves, subject to all the evils and temptations with which we are surrounded; and that the same God, who conferred upon them such great privileges, 'is the same yesterday to day and forever,' and is 'no respecter of persons,' consequently is just as willing to hear and answer the prayers, and bestow as great blessings upon his children now, as in days gone by: therefore, beloved brethren, let us gird up our loins and be faithful, knowing that the days draw near, and the time is at hand, when the just shall stand by faith." (The Prophecy of Enoch, Times and Seasons, vol. 2 (November 1840-October 1841), Vol. 2 No. 1 November 1, 1840, p.203 - 204; emphasis mine)

Here's a fact: You, too, can walk and talk with God. Such experiences are not measured in minutes nor limited to hours. They can continue far, far beyond those temporal time measurements.

And the words He tells you can be just as poignant, just as life-changing, as the words He'd tell you if He were face to face with you.

A Naturally Evolving Relationship

If you've seen Him, then deepen your relationship with Him. Constantly. Until you see Him again.

If you haven't seen Him, remember something He said to Thomas, who wanted so badly to see Him:

"…blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29)

I could be wrong about this, but I believe that in the final analysis, Christ's highest priority for us isn't to see Him (although that's important). It's to have a really deep, meaningful, intimate and truly eternal relationship with Him. He wants nothing more than to spend eternity with you. This is why he constantly uses the allegory of a marriage of Himself (as the bridegroom) and the righteous (as the bride) in describing the depth of relationship He wants with you (Matt. 9:15, 25;1-13; Rev. 18:23).

(If you really want to understand this concept, I encourage you to purchase my friend Donna Nielson's book, "Beloved Bridegroom." And don't forget to check out the comments on the book here, too - 4.9 out of 5 stars is pretty good).

Like the bride of the scriptures, devote yourself solely to Him. Develop a spiritual courtship where you can hear Him, commune with Him, converse with Him, laugh with Him, cry with Him, enjoy Him.

Many people tend to focus on the end result of seeing Him. My invitation is for you to instead focus on the journey. He knows what you want! Be patient, and let Him control the steering wheel and the accelerator of your life. Listen for His "love notes" to you as you travel through this wonderful mortal experience:

"When you hop in the car, leave the radio off. Let's talk!"
"Wow, look over there at that sunset."
"Hey, go tell <co-worker or family member> what a great job they did on their <whatever project>."
"You should tell your <wife/husband/child> you love them."
"Could you do a favor for me? Stop what you're doing right now, bow your head and say a prayer for <somebody's name>."
"<Your first name> -- Go open up the scriptures. Go to <book>, then <chapter> then <verse>. See that? That's my message for you for today."
"Oh, by the way, I just thought you'd like to know Father and Mother wanted me to tell you that They're so proud of you and who you've become."

Just don't worry about seeing Him. Enjoy Him! Because, over time, as your friendship with Him blossoms and grows and flourishes, His coming to you one day, unannounced, for you, his "bride", will be a completely natural, next step in your relationship with Him.

And because you endured so much time having believed in Him, without actually having seen Him, you will be even more blessed.

In my next post, we'll discuss some accounts of Him that will help you experience His fantastic sense of humor, His eagerness to forgive that is both immediate and breathtaking in its scope, and His overwhelming desire to spend His life with you…

…and for you to spend your life with Him…

…starting now.

Also see:

About "The Perfect Day"
Walking and Talking with God, Part 1
Walking and Talking with God, Part 2
Walking and Talking with God, Part 3
Walking and Talking with God, Part 4
Walking and Talking with God, Part 5
Walking and Talking with God, Part 6
Walking and Talking with God, Part 7
Walking and Talking with God, Part 8
Walking and Talking with God, Part 9
Spiritual Land Mine #8: The Missing Link to Seeing the Lord
Enter the Presence of the Lord
Spiritual Ascension Step #3: Align (Start the Millennium...NOW!)
The Way Back Home