1 - What is revelation?

Story time! 

When I was a child in Sunday school, I would get really excited about Samuel the prophet in the old testament. I would listen as Hannah gave him up to Eli the priest, and how he was raised in the temple, and then one night,
BAM!
Called of God just like that. Voice, probably lights, all the good stuff in revelation.
That was my impression of what revelation was growing up. Imagine yourself just sitting there and then you hear a voice and a shining light, and poof! You get a flaming sword or at least a staff and knowledge of everything.

Also, who hasn't seen The Ten Commandments? Moses' hair goes all white and he comes back transformed! And then he knows what to do... Right?

My Experience

My experiences aren't anything like this. What I usually find is that once I get an inspiration or revelation, my next question to God is 'Wow, how do I do that!?' To which I get the impression from God along the lines of 'I'm excited to see what you come up with!'

I haven't gotten the voice or the lights either. Although a couple times, it has been close...

My problem is that I focused too much on the culminating event, not the work that it took to get there. Moses spent a long time in the wilderness, and probably had the priesthood of God, before he was ready for that bush. When he got back to Egypt, it wasn't smooth sailing either. It took a lot before he even got to the plagues, let alone freeing the Israelites. Same thing with Samuel. He basically spent every day in the temple from his youth, and even then, he couldn't figure out who was talking to him that night.

My point in all this is that these prophets were leading a certain kind of life and giving a certain kind of sacrifice. We should expect to do similar things if we want similar experiences.

A Better Understanding of Revelation

Revelation is better understood as a daily walk and talk with your higher power and existence itself. It is a communion, and unification with a principle greater than your current state. At time it can be punctuated by acute experiences, like Samuel and Moses had, but to understand those experiences, you need to understand first that they were walking by revelation long before they had the experience itself.

If I had focused on the fact that Samuel was in the temple most of his life, or that Moses was in the wilderness, I would be much better off.

Revelation means to reveal or uncover or make known. I have found it much better to seek to know God and understand His mysteries. When I do that, it is like God hears me and begins to help me from His side to enlighten my understanding. If I continue to do that in all things, then, by my daily walk and talk, I can come closer to Him. It is in this state that I am more ready to receive revelation.

Cool Quote

Here is a quote from Joseph Smith for you to ponder in preparation for the next topic:

A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.