Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and serves as the Ward Mission Leader in the Annapolis, Maryland Ward.

Is Your Radio Tuned to the Right Frequency? A Biblical Reflection

Bible Verse:

Proverbs 2:1-5, “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after
knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.”

In my apartment I have a replica of an antique table top radio that was once a gift that I had given to my mother. My father kept the radio in his house after my mother passed, and upon his passing I was able to obtain the radio and now have it in my possession as a precious keepsake. Although the radio may appear to be antique, inside of its case are modern electronic components that allow it to be turned on and tuned in to some of my favorite radio stations.

However, to hear the signal that I desire, I must be actively involved – I cannot just wish it so. Instead, I have to physically get up, go over to the radio, turn it on, set it to AM or FM, and turn the tuning knob until I find the location on the dial corresponding to the station that I wish to listen to.

When attempting to tune the receiver to get it centered on the correct frequency, I find that if I move the tuning knob just a little too much to the right or to the left, the result is a lot of unwanted static and background noise. Although I may still be able to discern the station that I have selected, the listening experience is not as clear and interference-free as it would be with the station perfectly tuned to its frequency.

Just as radio waves (and TV and wireless communication signals) fill the atmosphere around us, invisible to the eye, undetectable to the ear, unnoticed to the passer-by, so also does the Holy Spirit surround us all.

This life is an individual journey in which we each face our own trials, temptations, difficulties, and heartaches. At times it may seem that we are all alone and that there is no one who cares. Our Heavenly Father has promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us. He has promised that He would send us One who would be a comforter, guide, and constant companion. However, in order to receive the blessings of the constant companionship of this One and to learn from Him, we need to have our “radio” turned on and “tuned in” to the correct frequency in order to hear His voice as He guides, leads, and directs our path, and teaches us the truth of all things. In John 14:26 we read, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you”.

Just as a radio will not automatically turn itself on and perfectly tune to the station that we desire to listen to without some interaction on our part, it is only through the renewing of our hearts and minds that we are able to turn on our spiritual “radio” and use its tuning knob, which is our faithfulness and obedience, to tune to the exact frequency wherein we will be able to clearly hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. As we continue to keep ourselves “in tune” with our Heavenly Father, through our faithfulness and obedience, our “radio” will continue to give a clear and undistorted signal; however, if we lose focus and begin to move the tuning knob a little to the left or a little to the right, we will become distracted by the cares of the world and will end up listening to a lot of static and distortion. We may also need to adjust the volume control so as to drown out the noises of the world and focus only on the Still Small Voice as He speaks to us.

Is your “radio” turned on, and is it tuned perfectly to the correct frequency? Solomon gave this wise counsel as recorded in Proverbs 2:1-5, “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.”

I leave you these humble thoughts in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen.

See Keith’s Mormon.org profile.