Groanings which Cannot Be Uttered
The Lord's Gentle Tutoring of Oliver Cowdery
As a very young man, Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God.
What does it mean that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God?
Br. Joseph Smith jr. said that it was not intended to tell the world all the particulars of the coming forth of the book of Mormon, & also said that it was not expedient for him to relate these things &c
This reticence upset a lot of people, and it still upsets a lot of people.
Faith in Christ is required to understand and appreciate the truth of the Book of Mormon and the fact that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God.
A deeper dive into the details or the particulars, however, is fascinating and strengthens the faith of the sincere inquirer after truth. An even deeper dive into this topic further confirms the truth of the eye-witness testimonies regarding the process of translation:
When my husband was translating the Book of Mormon, I wrote a part of it, as he dictated each sentence, word for word, and when he came to proper names he could not pronounce, or long words, he spelled them out, and while I was writing them, if I made any mistake in spelling, he would stop me and correct my spelling although it was impossible for him to see how I was writing them down at the time. Even the word Sarah he could not pronounce at first, but had to spell it, and I would pronounce it for him. - Emma Smith
My belief is that the Book of Mormon is of divine authenticity—I have not the slightest doubt of it. I am satisfied that no man could have dictated the writing of the manuscripts unless he was inspired; for, when acting as his scribe, [Joseph] would dictate to me hour after hour; and when returning after meals, or after interruptions, he would at once begin where he had left off, without either seeing the manuscript or having any portion of it read to him. This was a usual thing for him to do. It would have been improbable that a learned man could do this; and, for one so ignorant and unlearned as he was, it was simply impossible. - Emma Smith
I wrote with my own pen the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the prophet, as he translated it by the gift and power of God, by means of the Urim and Thummim, or, as it is called by the book, holy interpreters. I beheld with my eyes, and handled with my hands, the gold plates from which it was translated. I also beheld the interpreters. - Oliver Cowdery
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery received the gifts of God that enabled them to bring to light the Book of Mormon because of their faith in Christ.
Naturally, as he was immersed in the miraculous endeavor of transcribing the Book of Mormon, Oliver Cowdery desired to translate like the Prophet Joseph Smith. In response to his faith and righteous desires the Lord tutored him as he had tutored the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Lord promised to bestow knowledge and to reveal the truth about ancient records according to Oliver’s faith and diligent inquiry. The Lord instructed Oliver about the way in which He would reveal truth to him, and He also promised to reveal more truth and to do marvelous works by means of the gift of Aaron.
It is only by faith in Christ that the gift and power of God operates and it is only by faith in Christ that revelations flow.
Mercifully, the Lord even taught Oliver Cowdery precisely what to ask:
Ask that you may know the mysteries of God, and that you may translate and receive knowledge from all those ancient records which have been hid up, that are sacred; and according to your faith shall it be done unto you.
Behold, it is I that have spoken it; and I am the same that spake unto you from the beginning. Amen. (D&C 8:11-12)
As the Apostle Paul also taught, we need Heavenly Father’s help to pray for that which is best:
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)
Oliver Cowdery struggled to apply the gift that the Lord bestowed upon Him, and therefore, in His wisdom, the Lord admonished him to be patient, to be content to write for Joseph Smith, and to focus on the main task, namely to finish transcribing the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon was and is crucial to the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Church of Jesus Christ. It is significant that the translation of the Book of Mormon was one of the first great events in the foundation of the Restoration, second only to the theophany in Palmyra and the angel Moroni’s tutoring of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
The Lord had much more to reveal, including the Book of Abraham, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, and so forth, and He still has much more to reveal. But it was important to finish the Book of Mormon first.
The Lord gently and lovingly reproved Oliver and explained why He removed the privilege of translating. He counseled Oliver not to murmur, and He patiently corrected his errors:
Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.
But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.
But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me. (D&C 9:7-9)
Studying things out in our minds is a prerequisite to receiving revelation, and even then, sacred truths can only be received and written by the grace and power of God.
The Lord encouraged Oliver and promised him great blessings if he would be faithful, yield to no temptation, and stand fast in the work to which he was called. I am grateful for Oliver Cowdery’s faithfulness and obedience in transcribing the Book of Mormon.
If the Lord tutored and counseled both the Prophet Joseph Smith and his friend Oliver Cowdery to focus primarily upon the translation and transcription of the Book of Mormon at the beginning of the Restoration, then certainly it makes sense for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and sincere investigators of the truth to study, ponder, and pray about the Book of Mormon, and receive revelation from and about the Book of Mormon, before the Lord can reveal more to us.