Since I first heard it, I have been impressed by a small part of the story of Elijah:
“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” (2 Kings 19:11-12)
Only in that small voice did Elijah find the Lord. In a similar way, I had no experience with a burning bush, but the still voice of the Lord has guided me in the path He would have me follow.
I was intellectually persuaded that the teachings of the “Mormon” Church were true long before I believed them in my heart. So many of the simple things I was taught as a child made sense in my mind: God is our Father. He loves us. He offered Jesus Christ to help us return to Him. God speaks to us through prophets, in the past and today. These concepts have always seemed fundamentally logical to me.
Logic has played an important role in my life. I have always loved to prove my point with airtight thinking, and I teach others to do the same as a debate coach. With faith, though, we cannot trust in the arm of flesh, and we cannot rely on the mind of man. Part of believing in God is believing that He understands things beyond our comprehension. As a righteous king named Benjamin said in the Book of Mormon:
“Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.” (Mosiah 4:9)
My process of as my Savior has been a beautiful challenge. I have felt the guiding hand of the Lord for a long time, but the times I have recognized it most vividly came during ordinances of the Gospel. Receiving blessings as a child at the hand of my father, exercising the Aaronic Priesthood in my teenage years in administering the Sacrament, and receiving greater light in the Temple, I have felt the presence of God.
The impact of these major, official events, combined with the love and direction I have felt in personal prayer and study of the scriptures, are more powerful than any man-made experience. Even when life seems dark, the light of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel guide me. I am comforted to know that God speaks today: not only does He reveal Himself to prophets, but He will show the least of His children that He remembers them.
I may not have a flashy story about how I came to know Jesus Christ, but in His name, I say that I know He lives and He overcame sin and death for me. This is the foundation of my faith, and thus the foundation of every other aspect of my life. I pray that many others may search, pray, feel, and know in this way.
