I admit that sometimes I go into “Help Desk mode” without thinking about it. I begin issuing precise, sequential commands and I feel silently indignant when they are not followed accurately.
But when I am working at the Help Desk, Help Desk mode is permanently switched on.
Therefore, don’t type “www” unless I tell you to type “www”.
The ninth Article of Faith reads:
We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. [Articles of Faith 1:9]
This statement concisely expresses our belief, as Latter-day Saints, in the pattern God our Eternal Father uses to teach truth to us, his children. Breaking it down into three periods of time testifies that God is the same yesterday (“… all that God has revealed …”), today (“… all that He does now reveal …”), and forever (“… He will yet reveal …”).
It is my purpose today to concentrate on revelation in the present tense: we believe all that God does now reveal.
Revelation can come through various channels. Here are three examples: first, the prophet receives revelation that is meant for the whole Church, and often the entire world; second, our local leaders receive revelation concerning our ward or stake; finally, we can also receive personal revelation for ourselves.
We live in a time when God has called prophets and apostles to direct his work on the earth. Do we count ourselves truly blessed to have these watchmen on the tower? Do we study and follow their counsel, and seek a testimony that they are indeed men of God? Do we bring their words into our homes, either through the Church magazines or the Church website?
Do we study the scriptures and pray daily? Do we live within our means and strive to get out of or stay out of debt? Do we attend Family Home Evening? Are we doing what we need to do to prepare ourselves to make covenants in the temple? This is only a small example of the counsel we have recently received from our prophets.
If we profess a belief in this Church and the restoration of the Gospel, if we testify of the prophet Joseph Smith and the truthfulness of The Book of Mormon, and we do not abide the counsel of our latter-day prophets, we are no better than the people of Zarahemla to whom Samuel the Lamanite said,
And now when ye talk, ye say: If our days had been in the days of our fathers of old, we would not have slain the prophets; we would not have stoned them, and cast them out.
Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him … [Helaman 13:25-26]
Latter-day prophets are a blessing we cannot treat lightly.
The organization of the Church is divinely inspired. It is as important to heed the counsel of our bishop and stake president as it is for us to follow the prophets. These men are uniquely situated to receive revelation on behalf of our ward and stake.
While latter-day prophets and local leaders are an essential part of God’s pattern of revelation, equally essential is the role of personal revelation. The prophets teach us the commandments and the framework of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They give counsel that should be followed by all members of the Church, but they are probably not aware of the personal challenges we face.
Our bishop is closer to home, and it is appropriate to seek his counsel and guidance as we face the challenges of life. But he cannot make our decisions for us, or give us our own testimony that the principles he teaches us are true. We must seek out and receive revelation for ourselves.
How do we prepare ourselves to receive this revelation? Here are nine ways we can prepare to receive the promptings of the Holy Ghost:
First, we pray for guidance. Last night I had a nightmare. I was at church, attending a fireside, sitting in the back of the room. As we were singing the opening hymn, someone came to me and whispered in my ear. I was told that I was responsible for the lesson at that fireside.
This was news to me. I quietly stood up and left the room. Then I began to panic. I was not in a comfortable situation. I began to enter other rooms of the building, frantically searching for something that would help me teach a lesson, or give me an idea of what I should share. Each time I passed the room with everyone else in it, I could hear them singing a different hymn. I was taking too long. They were stalling for me.
I entered the kitchen and discovered piles of large red and yellow napkins. This gave me an idea. Everyone at the fireside could split into pairs. One of each pair would blindfold themselves with a napkin, and the other would guide them around the building with their voice. This would represent our reliance on the promptings of the Holy Ghost as we walk, often blinded, through this life.
But would it work? The napkins were just barely big enough to be used as blindfolds. I left the kitchen, looking for a better idea. After several more minutes I returned to the kitchen, having found nothing better. I grabbed a pile of napkins and made my way back to the room in which the fireside was being held.
I don’t know how many hymns they had to sing as I was bumbling about the meetinghouse, and I don’t know how my lesson turned out; I woke up. But I had two very distinct impressions as I lay there in my bed.
The first thing I thought as I woke up was how great that lesson idea sounded. I should try it sometime.
The second thing that entered my mind was the words of a familiar hymn:
Ere you left your room this morning,
Did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ, our Savior,
Did you sue for loving favor
As a shield today? [Hymns, Did You Think to Pray?, no. 140]
Why did I not think to pray? Surely, had I taken a moment to ask the Lord for inspiration, would I not have experienced such panic? The Lord has promised,
If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal. [Doctrine and Covenants 42:61]
Second, be reverent.
Rev’rence is more than just quietly sitting:
It’s thinking of Father above,
A feeling I get when I think of his blessings.
I’m rev’rent, for rev’rence is love. [Children’s Songbook, Reverence Is Love, p. 31]
When we are reverent we invite revelation. We open our minds and our hearts to the positive influence of the Spirit of God. As we quietly reflect on and nurture our love for our Heavenly Father and his Son, we prepare to receive revelation that will help us become more like them.
Third, be humble. If we do not recognize our dependence on the Lord, we will be far less likely to receive his help. The Lord pointed out the direct connection between humility and receiving guidance when he stated,
Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers. [Doctrine and Covenants 112:10]
Fourth, keep the commandments. The Lord, through Joseph Smith, has revealed:
But unto him that keepeth my commandments I will give the mysteries of my kingdom, and the same shall be in him a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life. [Doctrine and Covenants 63:23]
Fifth, partake of the sacrament worthily. When we make and keep the sacramental covenant, the Lord promises
… that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. [Doctrine and Covenants 20:77]
The sacramental prayers teach us that we must be willing to take upon us the name of Christ, always remember him, and keep his commandments, if we desire the Spirit of God. We will not receive revelation if we do not have his Spirit with us.
Sixth, study the scriptures every day. From the scriptures we can learn from the examples of others who have sought and received revelation. He can reveal to us the importance of certain passages in relation to our personal life.
When we study the scriptures we are generally more receptive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. On several occasions as I have studied the scriptures, I have received inspiration and answers to prayer that had nothing to do with the passage I was reading at the time.
Seventh, take time to ponder. In The Book of Mormon, Nephi tells us,
For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord … [1 Nephi 11:1]
A grand vision unfolded before him because he was pondering the things he had been taught. Pondering takes our thoughts from the trivial things of the world and brings us closer to the Spirit.
Eighth, study it out in your mind. The Lord does not always immediately give us an answer to a question. He expects us to do some work, to study the choices, to decide upon a course of action and ask for confirmation. If we proceed along the right path, the Lord
… will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.
But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong … [Doctrine and Covenants 9:8]
Ninth, patiently seek God’s will. Revelation cannot be rushed.
Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will. [Doctrine and Coventants 88:68]
Let the Holy Spirit guide;
Let him teach us what is true.
He will testify of Christ,
Light our minds with heaven’s view.Let the Holy Spirit guard;
Let his whisper govern choice.
He will lead us safely home
If we listen to his voice.Let the Spirit heal our hearts
Thru his quiet, gentle pow’r.
May we purify our lives
To receive him hour by hour. [Hymns, Let the Holy Spirit Guide, no. 143]
In the course of my employment, I occasionally find myself needing to activate a new installation of Windows XP. If the computer in question has a network connection, activation can sometimes be performed over the network. Unfortunately, that rarely works in my situation.
When the activation over the network fails, I get to make a phone call. I have called so many times that I have the number memorized: 1-888-571-2048. This is the Microsoft Product Activation Center.
A few minutes ago I finished a phone call to the Microsoft Product Activation Center. This time, however, is so far and by far the best call I have ever made to India.
That’s right! The Microsoft Product Activation Center is in India. I always suspected this, but today I got it from the proverbial horse’s mouth. That sounds mean. Rahul is not a horse. He is a very considerate man.
As the call begins, I am greeted by a recording that tells me I should try to activate over the network if I have not already tried (thanks, that’s a great idea!), and the average call length is six minutes. Today I brought the average up, because my call lasted 18:55.
About one minute into the call is when I actually start to interact with an automated system. The first question is, “Are you calling to activate Windows XP? Please say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.”
You can’t fool me.
I learned a long time ago that voice-recognition systems don’t like me. And I learned a long time ago that at the Microsoft Product Activation Center, ‘1’ means ‘yes’ and ‘2’ means ‘no’. So I pressed ‘1’.
“Are you at your computer with the activation window open?”
“1.”
Eventually I get to give my installation ID, which is a (9 × 6 =) 54 digit number that I can either speak or type using the number pad. Just so you know, with a number that long you can uniquely identify one million billion billion billion billion computers. No one ever said Microsoft wasn’t optimistic.
Ideally, after I give my installation ID, the recording thinks for a few seconds — eerily, I always thought this pause was more for psychological rather than technical reasons — then gives me a confirmation ID to type in a box in the activation window.
However, that rarely works. The recording apologizes — a computer is apologizing to me; think about that long and hard — and informs me that she can’t validate my installation ID. Now I get transferred to a customer service representative. This is where the fun begins.
I first noticed today’s call was different because of the time I had to wait on hold. I seriously listened to the same poor-quality elevator song at least three times, periodically interrupted by, “We are experiencing higher-than-normal call volumes.” Thanks for the update.
I hope you’re not bored with my story. It’s just getting good.
Finally, I’m on the line with a live person. I give Rahul my installation ID, and as he is looking up my confirmation ID, he asks me the questions I have gotten accustomed to:
“Is this software installed on any other computers? Did you buy it separately or did it come pre-installed on the system? What is the make and model of the computer? Where did you buy it?”
(About that last question: because I’m working at the Help Desk and never activating Windows on my own computer, I always “bought it online.”)
Rahul seems satisfied with how the interrogation went, and we are just waiting on that elusive confirmation ID. He tells me his system is slower than normal today. (Hey, I have that problem at home, too!)
If you’ve ever talked to me on the phone, you may be well aware that I don’t mind awkward silence. But Rahul must feel (or have been trained) differently, because after a few seconds of nothing, he tries to strike up a conversation with me to pass the time.
I’m surprised. This has never happened before. But I’m always willing to try new things.
“Where are you calling from?” he asks.
“Texas.”
“And how is your day?”
“It’s rainy,” I reply. I think this is a great time to confirm my suspicions. “Where are you at?”
“I’m in India — New Delhi.”
I smile to myself.
“Texas, is that near the coast?” Rahul continues.
“Well, Texas has a coast, but I don’t live anywhere near it. Do you get monsoon season over there?”
“Yes, it’s just coming up.”
“Well, I hope you stay safe,” I say.
A bit more silence. I guess Rahul and I don’t have much in common.
I’m curious, so I ask, “Is there any indication of how long this will take, or do we just have to wait it out?” I was tempted to add, “like a monsoon,” but I resisted.
I must have upset Rahul, because he asked if he could put me on hold again. Oh, alright. I hadn’t gotten enough of that song, anyway.
About thirty seconds later, Rahul is back with my confirmation ID and we are about to part ways. Would I ever talk to him again?
“It was a pleasure to talk to you, sir,” he said to me. “Thank you for calling Microsoft, and have a nice day.”
On Sunday my roommate left for the summer. On Sunday night I went to sleep in the top bunk for the first time in several years.
I have not felt much of a desire to write here at Subtle Coolness in a long time. I thought I had a good thing going with those riddles, but I lost interest in those quicker than I thought I would. Maybe I am just busy with school right now. Maybe I do not care about the World Wide Web anymore.
Maybe I do care about the World Wide Web, but I fancy the time when the network was wild and everything was ugly and CSS did not mean anything.
Maybe I just like the way monospace text looks and I am trying to extrapolate deeper psychological meaning where there is none. Now that I think of it, monospace fonts are easier to hide secret messages in.
I want to write some more poetry.