The Sure Witness

     In my last few blog posts, I’ve touched on a few miracles performed by God because of the faith of His children.  The scriptures share hundreds of other examples of miracles worked by the faith of people.  Some examples that are easy to recognize include healing the sick, raising the dead, turning water into wine, and parting rivers and seas. 

     In my opinion, there are two more common miracles worked by the power of faith that are far greater than any of these obvious ones.  These miracles are forgiveness for our sins and mistakes and the sure witness of the Holy Spirit.  Today I wish to focus on the second of these, the sure witness of the Holy Spirit.

     There are many ways we are able to learn in this world.  We can learn by experimenting through trial and error.  We can learn by having another person show us what we want to know.  We can learn by studying facts.  Any of these methods can impart knowledge to our mind, showing us the truths about the world around us.  Since all truth flows from God, any method of learning truth about the world can also teach us truths about God, giving us spiritual knowledge as well.

     Spiritual learning can also happen in many ways.  We can learn through the study of scriptures.  We can learn through the example and teaching of others.  We can even have heavenly messengers appear and give us knowledge.  These methods, and many others, can do a wonderful job teaching us the truths of God.  They can also be wonderful ways to learn the truths of the world.

     The various methods of learning truths about God and the world can be quite effective, but none of them can compare with learning truth through the sure witness of the Holy Spirit.  It doesn’t matter how effective any of the various ways of learning truths about God or the world are for you.  The sure witness of the Holy Spirit still stands out above the rest as the best way to learn truth and knowledge.

     Let me give an example to demonstrate this truth.  Imagine you have a really difficult class in college.  You have a test coming up tomorrow and have been preparing for it for weeks.  Unfortunately you have a problem.  In spite of the weeks of studying hard to be ready for this test, you still struggle with the material.  You know you aren’t ready for the test.  You’ve gone to the professor for help, but it’s still not clicking.  One of your friends is in the class and has tried explaining it to you, but you still know you’re not ready.

     So you turn to God, kneeling in prayer to ask for His help.  You anxiously go to class to take the test.  As you start through the questions, you begin to realize you know the answers.  You haven’t had any heavenly visitors come to give the answers.  You aren’t any smarter than you were before.  Yet you actually know the answers to this material that was so difficult to understand.

     The reason is the Holy Spirit is speaking to your spirit and helping you recall all the things you’ve been studying.  You may think this a ridiculous thought.  Why would the Holy Spirit care how you did on your test?  But the scriptures teach us the Holy Spirit “will guide you into all truth”.  (John 16:13)  Your test mattered to you enough to cause you to pray for help in faith.  For this reason it mattered to God and He sent the promptings of the Spirit to guide you.  The Holy Spirit can speak to your spirit and teach it the things that nothing else could so that you can pass this difficult test.

     You may not relate to this story.  Perhaps you are one of those people that never struggled in school, or perhaps you are one of those people that never cared enough about school to ask for help.  But this same principle applies to every aspect of your life.  There will come times when you need the help of God at work, in relationships, or in some other aspect of your life.  In all of these situations, the Holy Spirit can bring understanding to your mind far better than any other method of learning can.

     This sure witness of the Holy Spirit is one of the mightiest miracles this world has ever known.  This is how the race of men has been able to grow through the ages.  We have learned all we know about God because of the sure witness of the Holy Spirit.  Scientific advancements have come into our world because the silent promptings of the Holy Spirit have given knowledge to scientists.  Mothers and fathers have been able to protect, nurture, and defend their children because of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

     The Holy Spirit has guided and shaped the growth of individual lives, entire civilizations, and the world.  All of it has been done through the faith of people who are willing to listen for the quiet promptings of the Spirit of God.  That’s the power of the miracles that can be worked by faith.