After students identify the principle that pondering the things of the Lord prepares us to receive revelation, invite them to think of accounts in the scriptures or Church history of times when people received revelation as a result of pondering the things of the Lord. (Examples include Lehi’s son Nephi, who received a vision after desiring to behold the things his father saw and “pondering in [his] heart” [1 Nephi 11:1; see 1 Nephi 10:17]; Joseph Smith, whose First Vision came after he “reflected … again and again” on James 1:5 [Joseph Smith—History 1:11–17]; and Joseph F. Smith, who received the vision of the redemption of the dead after pondering and reflecting on the words of the Lord [see D&C 138:1–6, 11].)
“This trend to more noise, more excitement, more contention, less restraint, less dignity, less formality is not coincidental nor innocent nor harmless.
“The first order issued by a commander mounting a military invasion is the jamming of the channels of communication of those he intends to conquer” (Boyd K. Packer, “Reverence Invites Revelation,” Ensign,Nov. 1991, 22).
“Temples, ordinances, covenants, endowments, and sealings have been restored, precisely as prophesied. Ordinances of the temple provide for reconciliation with the Lord and seal families together forever. Obedience to the sacred covenants made in temples qualifies us for eternal life—the greatest gift of God to man [see Doctrine and Covenants 14:7]” (Russell M. Nelson, “Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple,”Ensign, Oct. 2010, 42).