The Mysteries of God

1 Nephi 2:16

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.

The mysteries of God are anything God knows that I don't know yet. Much of what God knows is beyond my human comprehension, and so His knowledge remains mysterious to me for the time being. But God can dumb down some of His knowledge to a level that mortals can comprehend, and it is those mysteries that He is willing to share with me. 

Such knowledge does not come easily, however. Nephi did not have a mere curiosity or a passing fancy to learn the mysteries of God. He had "great desires." Such desires are powerful motivators that drive my behaviors and take up much of my attention. When I have such desires, I focus my life on God, studying His word, keeping His commandments, and making covenants with Him. 

How do I receive great desires to know the mysteries? I start with faith that God exists, that He has great knowledge to teach me, and that He is willing to do so. I then act on that faith. And one of the key actions of faith is to ask God for the desire. I ask Him to change my heart, to create a "mighty change" in me so that I come to want what He wants, to feel what He feels, and to love what He loves. When I align myself with God, surrender my will to Him, and turn my life over to Him, He will reveal to me marvelous things to lift me, elevate me, and enable me to serve Him better.

God's mysteries exist at many levels. As He reveals a mystery to me, He uncovers deeper mysteries for me to seek. And so, I enter a continual process of asking, seeking, and knocking, through which God reveals more and more to me until I will "know His mysteries in full." It's the adventure of a lifetime.

I have learned, however, that God's mysteries are not to be shared except as directed by the Holy Ghost in the most sacred situations. As President Russell M. Nelson has said, God wants to do His own teaching. Nephi wrote only what the Spirit permitted him to write about what God revealed to him. Much of what Nephi learned in the visions that followed his plea to the Lord has been held back. When I have Nephi's faith, desire, and soft heart, God will show me what He showed to Nephi. But no one will ever know what God has taught me. He will teach me only what He can trust me to hold sacred.

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