Friday, March 19, 2021

Gerald N. Lund on "The Burning of the Bosom"

  

The burning of the bosom. Sometimes we tend to take scriptural language literally and this leads to misunderstanding. Many have assumed that the burning in the bosom describes an actual, physical heat that we will feel inside our bodies. The Lord clarifies that phrase by adding, “you shall feel that it is right” (D&C 9:8) . . . In D&C 8:2-3, we are told that the Spirit speaks to our mind and to our heart. IN other words, the majority of revelation comes as thoughts and feelings. So the question is, can this burning of the bosom be a literal burning, or does it refer to the feelings we have inside of us? It is possible that for some it might actually come with a sensation of heart. After all, the Lord can manifest His will to us any way He chooses. But modern prophets have suggested that it is most often the latter.

 

President Boyd K. Packer described it this way: “The burning in the bosom is not purely a physical sensation. It is more like a warm light shining within your being” (“Personal Revelation: The Gift, the Test, and the Promise,” Ensign, November 1994). (Gerald N. Lund, Why Isn't God Answering Me? [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2018], 129)