He speaks to each of us personally

Dear friend

Some people will write down a spiritual experience in a journal. Another may speak it and someone else records the incident. In a very small number of cases a person's sacred communications with God are received and recorded when the Lord speaks to a person through one of His prophets. Such revelations might well become a matter of scripture.

This was exactly the case with John Whitmer. The record is revealing about how God responds to our petitions to Him. It is found in Doctrine and Covenants 15:1-6 (being the whole section).

1 Hearken, my servant John, and listen to the words of Jesus Christ, your Lord and your Redeemer.
2 For behold, I speak unto you with sharpness and with power, for mine arm is over all the earth.
3 And I will tell you that which no man knoweth save me and thee alone
4 For many times you have desired of me to know that which would be of the most worth unto you.
5 Behold, blessed are you for this thing, and for speaking my words which I have given you according to my commandments.
6 And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father. Amen.

Consider what this insight helps us understand about how the Divine develops us. God's willing volunteers are called His servants. But the Lord we serve is also our Redeemer from being servants to sin.

He knows everything about us, including what only we know about ourselves. Our Father is aware of all our prayers, even the ones we think have gone unanswered. If our desires are righteous that alone makes us already worthy of His blessings, before having actually achieved.

The actual answer to John Whitmer's personal question is informative to us all. The most valuable work we can do is to declare repentance and invite souls to come unto Jesus Christ. The promised blessing is to be with these souls as forever friends in the Father's Kingdom.

There may never be scripture with our name on it, but I hope we recognise when we receive God's word for us. Whatever that word is, it will always come to us with a promise.

Samuel.