My teenage son said to me one day, “How do I know if I’ve felt the Spirit?” I panicked and went into my office and wrote a book. Recognizing and understanding the feelings of the Spirit is a lifelong pursuit, and oftentimes the feelings are so subtle, that we’re not sure we’ve felt anything at all. Here’s an excerpt from “How Do I Know if I Know?”
Most often when we talk about testimonies, we refer to feelings. We talk about “feeling the Spirit,” or “feeling good” about a decision, or “feeling impressed” to do something. And yet, when we try to describe how we felt, or exactly what something felt like, we discover it’s very hard to explain. President Boyd K. Packer taught:
We do not have the words (even the scriptures do not have words) which perfectly describe the Spirit. The scriptures generally use the word voice, which does not exactly fit. These delicate, refined spiritual communications are not seen with our eyes nor heard with our ears. And even though it is described as a voice, it is a voice that one feels more than one hears (That All May Be Edified, 335).
“Feeling” the Spirit takes practice, patience, and persistence. Many of us have felt it, but we haven’t recognized it. In other words, we know, but we don’t know that we know. Learning to feel the Spirit is a lifelong process. So how does the Spirit feel?
Feeling the Burning in the Bosom
Perhaps the feeling described most often when discussing a testimony is a “burning in the bosom.” This expression is used in the Doctrine and Covenants regarding the translation process for the Book of Mormon (see D&C 9:8). It’s also used in the New Testament, describing the time when the resurrected Jesus walked along the road to Emmaus with two disciples who didn’t recognize Him. After Jesus departed, they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32).
Many of us hope for, long for, and pray for this type of “burning,” powerful witness, and some of us get discouraged when it doesn’t come. We might even feel ashamed or worry that we are less spiritual than others because we’ve never had our heart burn within us. Our mistake is when we assume that a witness of the Spirit must be the burning in the bosom. If you have never felt the burning feeling described by these verses, it doesn’t mean that you’ve never had a witness, that you’re not worthy, or that you don’t have a testimony. Don’t be discouraged; you’re in good company. Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught:
I have met persons who told me they have never had a witness from the Holy Ghost because they have never felt their bosom “burn within” them. What does a “burning in the bosom” mean? Does it need to be a feeling of caloric heat, like the burning produced by combustion? If that is the meaning, I have never had a burning in the bosom. Surely, the word “burning” in this scripture signifies a feeling of comfort and serenity. That is the witness many receive. That is the way revelation works. Truly, the still, small voice is just that, “still” and “small” (Ensign, March 1997, 13).
Elder Jay E. Jensen shared this comment from another member of the Quorum of the Twelve:
As I have traveled throughout the Church, I’ve found relatively few people who have experienced a burning of the bosom. In fact, I’ve had many people tell me that they’ve become frustrated because they have never experienced that feeling even though they have prayed or fasted for long periods of time (Ensign, April 1989, 21-22).
I know people who say they have felt this burning feeling, but I also know many who have never felt it. And that’s okay! Have you ever heard someone say, “That’s a heartwarming story”? Do they literally mean their heart felt warm, or is it just an expression? Perhaps the “burning in the bosom” can range anywhere from a heartwarming feeling to a feeling of physical heat.
One of the most important principles to learn in your quest for spiritual knowledge is that the Lord communicates differently to different people. Again, a witness of the Spirit is not limited to only the “burning” feeling.
In future posts, we’ll talk about some of the other feelings that may come when we feel the Spirit, such as peace, joy and enlightenment.
You’ve been reading an excerpt from “How Do I Know If I Know?”
Donna Ketchersid says
When I was 25 years old, I took the discussions from the Elders (1973). They asked me to read the Book of Mormon and pray and ask if it was the word of God. I read it but never really felt that I had received an answer until after I had joined the church. At every opportunity I would ask a sister what kind of an answer did they receive when they prayed about the Book of Mormon. Every answer was different. Then it finally sank into my brain that I had received an answer and didn’t know it. While reading the Book of Mormon one evening, I felt this burning in my chest. I stopped reading and wondered what this feeling was, The feeling subsided and I started reading again. Again, this burning sensation returned and increased in intensity to the point that I had to put the book down a second time. Not knowing what or who the Holy Ghost was I just dismissed this experience and didn’t think on it again until learning more when attending my church meetings. My parents never took us to church while I was growing up and religion wasn’t a big part of our lives although I know they believed. Thanks to an aunt and a loving grandmother for sharing their love of the Savior.
Bridget says
For me it’s a warm, sweet, peaceful feeling, although sometimes I have felt it very strongly and would call it a “burning” in those times. For a while I worried that it was all in my head, that I only felt that unusually good feeling because I expected to. But then there were times that I felt it unexpectedly, and there were times when I expected to feel it but didn’t. I’ve continued to test it out, and I’m at a point where I firmly believe that it’s the Spirit (usually). Thanks for this helpful post.