We Are Still in the Middle of a Miracle

The Wonder of the Beginning

I sometimes imagine what it must’ve been like to be there —

When Joseph Smith first shared the story of a vision that cracked the sky open. When a farm boy said he had seen God the Father and Jesus Christ, and dared to say that They still speak. That must have sounded impossible. And yet, it was the beginning of something extraordinary.

I picture the little shop in Palmyra — E.B. Grandin’s print press rattling and clanking, inked type pressed onto paper, row after row of a strange new book unlike any the world had ever seen. The Book of Mormon — another testament of Jesus Christ. Scripture unfolding in real time. What must it have felt like to hold one of those first copies? To realize that the canon of heaven wasn’t closed after all?

And then, what of the moments when doctrines like the priesthood, eternal families, and exaltation were first taught? When the veil between heaven and earth felt paper-thin and revelation came through sermons, visions, and visits from angels? I imagine the fire in those early Saints. The wonder. The hunger for more truth. The joy of seeing God’s hand moving in real time.

“We’re witnesses to a process of restoration. If you think the Church has been fully restored, you’re just seeing the beginning. There is much more to come.

— President Russell M. Nelson, April 2020

Those early days of the Restoration must have felt like standing in the middle of a miracle.

But Then What?

Somewhere along the way, we began to treat that miracle like it was past tense.

Like it had already happened. Like we were now just managing the aftermath of something great, rather than participating in something ongoing.

We still call ourselves a “restored Church.” But how often do we act like the Restoration is still unfolding?

How often do we settle into comfort, routine, and correlation, assuming that the big revelations already happened? That the bold doctrine has all been revealed? That the heavens have mostly said what they came to say?

“The Restoration is a process, not an event, and will continue until the Lord comes again.”

— Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2020

That’s a dangerous assumption. Because when we stop expecting revelation, we start replacing it — with tradition, with opinion, with assumption, or with silence.

A Defining Belief

Ongoing revelation is not a side note in Latter-day Saint theology — it is one of its defining traits. It’s what sets us apart from nearly every other Christian denomination.

It’s not just that we believe Joseph Smith was a prophet. It’s that we believe God still calls prophets. That the heavens are still open. That Jesus Christ, not any one flawed man, is the head of this Church and continues to speak and guide His people.

This belief changes everything.

It means we don’t just preserve doctrine — we pursue deeper understanding.

We don’t just repeat the past — we respond to the present.

We don’t just revere revelation — we expect it.

“Continuous revelation has been received and is being received through channels the Lord has established.”

— Elder Quentin L. Cook, April 2020

And yet, I have to admit: I’ve become complacent at times. Maybe you have too. I’ve treated the scriptures as the last word, instead of the latest. I’ve acted like the Restoration was an event, not a process. I’ve forgotten to watch for the clouds to part again.

Still Unfolding

I’ve come to believe that even if the doctrines don’t change in dramatic new ways, our understanding of them will. God is still refining us — through prophets, through councils, through experience, and through the whisperings of the Spirit.

I’ve seen it happen in recent years:

New language around mental health and compassion.

More thoughtful conversations about race, gender, and equality.

Greater emphasis on grace, mercy, and belonging.

Deeper insights into covenants, temples, and the character of Jesus Christ.

“The Lord commanded in the early days of the Restoration to ‘seek learning, even by study and also by faith.’ That is happening today and is worthy of a resounding ‘Hurrah.’”

— Elder Quentin L. Cook, April 2025

This is the Restoration continuing — not by rewriting all the doctrines, but by revealing the depths behind them. The nuance. The applications. The lived experience of discipleship in a changing world.

The Restoration didn’t end with Joseph Smith. It didn’t peak in Nauvoo or Salt Lake. It is still happening — here, now, in a church council, a general conference address, a quiet impression in a temple, or a footnote that changes how we understand the love of God.

From Persecution to Protection to Progress

To be fair, we must also acknowledge that for much of the twentieth century, the Church was in protection mode. After decades of persecution, marginalization, and national scrutiny, it’s understandable that we wanted to emphasize our respectability, our strength, and our unity. That season may have helped preserve us.

But I’m grateful that the tone is shifting.

Today, we are seeing more transparency, more vulnerability, and more willingness to wrestle with the harder parts of our story. We are no longer only guarding what was — we are seeking what still can be. That’s not a step backward. That’s a leap forward in faith.

Are We Paying Attention?

Maybe the question is no longer “Is God still speaking?”

Maybe the real question is: “Are we still listening?”

Have I become too comfortable? Too rigid? Too content to settle for yesterday’s manna instead of seeking today’s? Have I started treating prophetic counsel as optional or outdated — unless it aligns with what I already think?

“In our day, revelation continues to guide the Church. Likewise, each of us can receive revelation for our own lives.”

— President Dallin H. Oaks, March 2020

The Restoration is not a product we’ve finished — it’s a path we’re still walking. And if we forget that, we risk becoming exactly what Joseph’s vision stood against: a people convinced that the heavens have closed.

But they haven’t. Not yet. Not ever.

The Miracle Continues

The miracle wasn’t just the First Vision.

It’s that visions still happen.

The miracle wasn’t just the printing of the Book of Mormon.

It’s that scripture still speaks — and new light still comes.

The miracle wasn’t just that Christ called a prophet in 1820.

It’s that He still leads the Church today.

“If you think the Church has been fully restored, you’re just seeing the beginning. There is much more to come.”

— President Russell M. Nelson, April 2020

This miracle, this messy, evolving, breathtaking Restoration — is still underway.

And you and I are living it. Right now.

I want to live like that’s true.

I want to study like new truths are waiting.

I want to pray like heaven has something fresh to say.

I want to serve like this Church is still becoming what God intends.

Because it is.

And so am I.