The prophet Nephi taught, “And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things.”[1] This pattern of regularly designating time to go to a special place to seek God, facilitates divine inspiration and revelation. In the scriptures we find many examples, including:
- The Brother of Jared, Moses, Joshua each climbed high mountains to seek the Lord and receive His guidance[2]
- Enos sought the Lord through prayer while hunting in the forest and obtained a forgiveness of his sins and other great promises[3]
- Joseph Smith entered a grove of trees to seek wisdom through prayer and received instruction from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ[4]
- The Savior fasted in the wilderness for 40 days to prepare for His ministry and obtain spiritual strength[5]
In the recent General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson taught, “Time in the temple will help you to think celestial and to catch a vision of who you really are, who you can become, and the kind of life you can have forever. Regular temple worship will enhance the way you see yourself and how you fit into God’s magnificent plan. I promise you that.”[6]
The promised blessings of expanded vision, deepened understanding, and a stronger sense of belonging with God result from our willingness to devote sacred time and to regularly be in holy places to facilitate celestial thinking.
“Whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in your life, the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants.”
President Russell M. Nelson
Sacred Time
If we were to be shown a report of our daily use of time, what would it tell us about our priorities? As I have reviewed my personal use of time, I have felt a need to adjust my routine and to intentionally reserve time to do things that will help me draw closer to God. These adjustments have included planning a regular time to be in the temple, protecting certain times of the day for daily personal scripture study. We all should carefully safeguard the sacred hour of sacrament meeting each week. As we reserve time in advance, it becomes easier for us to not surrender our time to last minute things that are less important.
What times are sacred to you and how do preserve and protect them?
Holy Places
- Temple is a house of the Lord where we can go to seek Him. We are grateful that throughout the Asia area, temples are increasingly accessible. The General Temple Patron Assistance Fund can also help first-time temple attendees who require financial assistance. It can also be used for attending subsequent live sealings of siblings and children. If we do not live close to a temple, like Nephi, we can still find special places to go to be nearer to God. These places can be in our own homes[7], our meetinghouses, or other reverent and beautiful places. One of my favorite places are the hills behind my home where I go walking while pondering and listening to the words of prophets. Holy places are also not limited to only physical locations. President Nelson has taught, “Whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in your life, the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants.”[8]
Wherever we are, we can spend time pondering the covenants that we have made with God. Reviewing what we learn in the temple and recommitting ourselves to our sacred promises to God and His promised blessings to us will strengthen and empower us. Reviewing the temple recommend questions can also help us evaluate our standing with God and where we might need His help.[9]
In addition to the temple, where are the holy places that you go to be with God?
Celestial Thinking
As we intentionally seek God regularly by spending sacred time in holy places, He will bless us with enhanced understanding, comfort, peace, perspective, and revelation. This will help to enhance and elevate our thinking and we will receive answers, encouragement, confidence, and inspiration to face the challenges of our lives. It will provide direction and help us to put things in their proper perspective, to be less myopic and more celestial in our thoughts.
As we heed President Nelson’s invitation to “Think Celestial”, may we each fully live up to our privileges of divine assistance by intentionally designating time to be in the temple and other holy places regularly, by pondering and living within our covenants, and by acting on divine assistance received.[10]
[1] 1 Nephi 18:3
[2] Ether 3:1, Moses 1:1-2, Exodus 3, Exodus 24
[3] Enos 1
[4] Joseph Smith History 1:14-20
[5] Matthew 4:1
[6] Russell M. Nelson, “Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys”, Liahona May 2024
[7] Matthew 6:6-7
[8] Russell M. Nelson, “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation”, Liahona November 2021
[9] General Handbook 26.3.3.1, 27.2
[10] Russell M. Nelson, “Think Celestial!”, Liahona November 2023