Ep. 405: Doctrine & Covenants 138:1-28 - Recipe to Receive Revelation

Introduction

Welcome back to Streaking the Scriptures! I’m Jeff Downs, and today’s study session is coming to you right in the middle of the day—a little lunchtime lift.

Earlier this morning I was blessed to attend an endowment session in the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple. Our home temple in Saratoga Springs is temporarily closed for maintenance, so a whole bunch of us just “moved temples” for a couple of weeks. What an incredible blessing it is to live where, even when one temple is closed, you can choose from several others within about 30 minutes. That thought alone sets the tone perfectly for today’s study in Doctrine and Covenants section 138—a section all about the reach of the Savior’s redeeming power and the hope He offers to everyone.

In this episode, we’ll walk with President Joseph F. Smith as he sits in his room, pondering the scriptures and the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and then receives a sweeping vision of the spirit world. We’ll connect his pattern of pondering to President Russell M. Nelson’s invitation to study the names of Christ and to Elder Peter M. Johnson’s experience of wrestling with hard questions and finding peace in remembered revelation. Along the way, we’ll highlight a simple, repeatable pattern you and I can follow to better receive personal revelation.

And because we’re all about tiny, consistent actions here on Streaking the Scriptures, I’ll also invite you to turn what we’re studying today into a living, breathing streak in your life—something you can track daily in the MyStreaks – Streak Tracker app so this kind of pondering doesn’t just happen once in a while, but becomes part of who you are.

Let’s dive in.

---

Chapters

1. 00:00 – Lunchtime Study & Temple Tender Mercy
   Saratoga Springs Temple closure, attending Mount Timpanogos, gratitude for multiple nearby temples, and welcoming listeners to a lunchtime study in D&C 138.

2. 02:26 – Historical Setting: Joseph F. Smith’s 1918 Vision
   Context for section 138: October 3, 1918; General Conference; Joseph F. Smith’s divine communications and the canonization process of this revelation.

3. 04:33 – “I Sat in My Room Pondering”: A Pattern for Revelation Begins
   President Smith’s simple setup: a dedicated place, pondering the scriptures, and reflecting on the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God—all scriptures pointing to Christ.

4. 05:33 – Names of Christ & President Nelson’s Topical Guide Challenge
   Searching for the talk, discovering that the “2,200 references” story grew out of earlier teachings, and then connecting to Elder Neil L. Andersen’s “We Talk of Christ” and President Nelson’s invitation.

5. 10:20 – “I’m a Different Man”: Drawing on the Power of Jesus Christ
   Reading from President Nelson’s April 2017 talk “Drawing on the Power of Jesus Christ in Our Lives”; the danger of shortcut phrases like “the Atonement,” and the need to focus directly on the Savior Himself.

6. 14:46 – Pondering the Savior, Not an Abstract Event
   Tying Nelson’s counsel back to section 138: Joseph F. Smith pondering the Son of God and His atoning sacrifice, and how that focus sets the stage for receiving revelation.

7. 19:10 – Resurrection, “Bone to His Bone,” and a Fullness of Joy
   Reading Joseph F. Smith’s description of the hosts of the dead awaiting deliverance; cross-referencing Ezekiel 37’s valley of dry bones, and exploring what it means to have spirit and body reunited in a fullness of joy.

8. 22:22 – Curiosity, Questions, and the Mechanics of Revelation
   Watching Joseph F. Smith’s curiosity awaken: noticing Peter’s teachings about preaching to the spirits in prison and wondering how the Savior could do that work in so short a time—modeling how our own questions can trigger revelation.

9. 29:18 – Elder Peter M. Johnson: Wrestling with History & Remembering Revelation
   Reading Elder Peter M. Johnson’s story from “The Power of Administering to the One”: learning difficult church history, feeling unseen and confused, receiving love from a companion, and being led to D&C 6 to remember earlier spiritual witnesses.

10. 32:54 – Tearing Down Spiritual Walls & A Template for Personal Revelation
    How anger, hurt, and perceived unfairness can block the Spirit; the need to soften our hearts, pray, ponder, and remember prior witnesses—parallels between Elder Johnson’s experience and Joseph F. Smith’s pattern.

11. 34:00 – Your Turn: Pondering, Recording, and “Keep Streaking the Scriptures”
    Summarizing the “recipe” for revelation; previewing the next study session (picking up at verse 29), invitation to email thoughts, and the closing reminder to have charity in traffic and keep streaking the scriptures.

---

Conclusion

As we wrap up today’s study of Doctrine and Covenants section 138, look at the pattern the Lord quietly teaches us through President Joseph F. Smith and Elder Peter M. Johnson:

• Set a place and a time. “I sat in my room pondering…” A simple, dedicated spot and a deliberate moment.

• Ponder the Savior and His atoning sacrifice. Not an abstract “atonement,” but the living Jesus Christ—His love, His mission, His power to redeem.

• Let questions come. Joseph F. Smith wondered how the Savior could preach to the spirits in prison in such a short span. That honest question opened the way for vision.

• Remember past revelation. Elder Johnson was led back to a previous spiritual experience that restored his ability to feel the Spirit. Remembering is often the key to feeling again.

• Soften the heart and tear down walls. Love, humility, and a willingness to be tutored make room for the Holy Ghost to speak.

If you want this pattern to become part of who you are—not just something you heard in one episode—turn it into a streak.

In the MyStreaks – Streak Tracker app, you might create streaks like:

• “Ponder 1 verse about Christ daily”

• “Record one revelation thought per day”

• “Review one past spiritual experience each week”

MyStreaks will quietly help you keep those commitments alive—tracking your days, visualizing your consistency, and nudging you with simple reminders so your spiritual life isn’t left to chance or mood. It’s a way to “think Celestial” not just in big moments, but in small, daily actions that build into a life of steady discipleship.

If something from today’s study sparked a thought, a question, or an experience you’d like to share, I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email at [e-mail]—that’s J-E-F-F-E-R-Y at mystreaksapp.com.

Until we study together again, have a marvelous, fantastic, wonderful day. Remember to have charity in traffic, and as always… keep streaking the scriptures.