Some Thoughts on LDS General Conference

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hosts an event twice a year called General Conference, with the first one for 2012 in a week - March 31 and April 1.  This is an opportunity for members of the church to gather together throughout the world and receive guidance and counsel from the leaders of the church.  As a member of this church, this is an opportunity for me to receive spiritual guidance from my Heavenly Father through His servants.  It is an opportunity for me to hear living prophets speak, just as in Biblical times.

There is a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants that I remember learning when I was teenager, but recently rediscovered its significance.  D&C 1:38 says:

What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

Here's the part that really stood out to me: "...whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."  I found those four words to be very profound.  Here is the Lord saying that it doesn't matter if He is speaking to us personally or through His servants, it's the same thing.  General Conference is a time for us to hear from His servants, which is really hearing directly from Him.

There was another scripture that stood out to me that I thought went quite well with this one.  In the Book of Mormon, there are several chapters devoted to the account of when the Savior visited the Americas.  The beginning of one of the chapters where the Savior is teaching the people really caught my attention.  3 Nephi 17:3 says:

Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again.

I don't know how many times I've read this before, but I realized that this was the Savior telling those who had been listening to Him teach how they can know for themselves and fully understand what He had been saying.  This struck as something simply amazing!  With General Conference, we have multiple sessions with breaks between each of them.  We have been given time to ponder on the things the speakers talk about, ask Heavenly Father to help us understand, and then prepare our minds for the next session.

Yet, it doesn't have to stop when the last session is over.  It can continue by studying the scriptures.  When the church releases General Conference material, we can go over each talk again and again.  Video, audio, or even text.  With the wonders of technology today, we can carry General Conference with us wherever we go.  We can gain insight into how to deal with the trials in our lives, how we can be of service to those around us, or even just strengthen our own faith and testimony.

General Conference is a wonderful opportunity that only comes twice a year.  The spiritual feast doesn't have to only happen twice a year, though.  We have access to talks from past Conferences as well as the scriptures.  We can hear the voice of the Lord through His servants each and every day of our lives, for it is the same.