Writing Him on My Heart

Elder Holland gave a talk on speaking with the tongue of angels that has profoundly touched my life. In his talk, he said that in this thing we can become perfect. Ever since his talk, I have strived for perfection in this area. This morning while I was reading in Nephi 32, I felt a greater understanding for Elder Holland’s admonition to “speak with the tongue of angels”. In verse 2 it says, “…And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?”  And then in verse 3 Nephi instructs us that we must study the scriptures in order to have this gift. He said, “Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do” (2 Nephi 32:3). And finally, in verse 5 Nephi again admonishes us to “enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost” for the Holy Ghost “will show unto you all things what ye should do” (2 Nephi 32).

Herein is a formula for speaking with the tongue of angels. First, speaking with the tongue of angels requires the companionship of the Holy Ghost.  Second, we are instructed to “feast upon the words of Christ” for the words of Christ will tell us all that we should do. We are told that if we “enter in by the way” we will receive the Holy Ghost, and that it is the Holy Ghost that tells us all that we should do. So, by feasting upon the words of Christ, we will receive the Holy Ghost, and thereby we will be prompted in our actions. By simply having the Holy Ghost as our companion (feasting on the words of Christ), we are blessed with the ability to govern our tongues and speak with the tongue of angels. In addition to our speaking, the scripture says that we will be told all that we should do. With the Holy Ghost as a companion, we can become perfected in the way that we speak and act, and by so doing we become more of what we need to become. (2 Nephi 32; emphasis added)

I have had too many experiences where I wish I could go back and do a “redo”. Although I don’t expect to ever be rid of those types of experiences, I know that if I choose to receive the Holy Ghost—those experiences will be fewer.