Moses and Abraham both talked with God while in mortality on the Earth. Abraham even argued with Him to save Sodom, where his nephew, Lot, lived. (God made a win-win situation -- He brought Lot out before destroying Sodom.) At the age of sixty-two Abraham said, "After the Lord had withdrawn from speaking to me, and withdrawn his face from me, I said in my heart: Thy servant has sought thee earnestly; now I have found thee." (Abraham 2:12) I have always thought it would be a great thing to see the face of God. Apparently, many have had this blessing. I am beginning to see how.
Seek and ye shall find
The injunction to "seek and ye shall find" is found in various forms throughout the scriptures. If we seek for something we will find it. In other words, whatever we look for we will find. It's all available to us. If we are looking for evil, we will find evil, but if we are looking for good we will find that.
In Heaven, there is no evil, and in Hell there is no good, but on the Earth, good and evil exist simultaneously. At first the good on the Earth is hidden, while the evil is apparent. It is easy to look around and see evil everywhere and in everything. Change and decay is everywhere. Entropy reigns. For this reason, the default of our vision is evil -- it's automatic.
Since the good is hidden, we must actively seek it or we won't find it. Hidden behind all that evil is good. God is good. This is a mathematical formula: God = Good. Thus, it can be changed around and still be true: Good = God. So if we want to see God, we must seek the things that are good. If evil is everywhere, then where can good be found? Everywhere!
He is everywhere
There are many scriptures that tell us about the creations of God. "He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever." (D&C 88:41) God is in all things. All means all and all is all all means. In other words, there is nothing that exists that isn't of God. He created all things. There is nothing that is created that isn't created by God. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." (John 1:3) There are things that are Eternal, that always have and always will exist, and then there are things that are made. Everything that is made was made by God.
If God is in everything, that must include evil as well. In one sense, all that is evil is good because without the evil we cannot understand good. It is only in contrast that we experience anything. Evil is an essential part of our existence because without the contrast of sorrow, pain, suffering, and wickedness we could never know the good, or God. He allows evil because sentient beings created by Him have been given the ability to choose. He loves them even when they don't love Him; they reject, or hate Him. Though they oppose all that He is, He allows them to exist and function in their boundaries so that all of His children have the same ability to choose. Without a choice, there is no agency. As Eve said in making the choice to partake of the fruit: "It is better for us to pass through sorrow that we may know the good from the evil."
Sacrifice
In order to see the hand of the Lord in our lives, we must give up seeing the Devil. "The Devil is abroad in the land" and we have plenty of opportunity to see him. We can focus on all the pain, the evil of others, or the lust, greed, and general selfishness that surrounds us because there is plenty around to be had. We can worry, fuss, fret, fight evil, and hate all that is bad in the world. But, "For every thousand hacking at the leaves of evil, there is one chopping at the roots." (Henry David Thoreau) "Hacking at the leaves of evil" by pointing out all that is bad actually makes the tree to grow -- like pruning. Instead of seeing the bad things around us, we can choose to see the good and actually diminish evil.
The way to stop finding evil in others is to first sacrifice our own evil. If our hearts are filled with wickedness, then wickedness is what we will see all around us because we can only see what we are. The process of repentance removes the evil from our hearts and opens the way to see God. As we repent and let go of our sins, our eyes are opened to see God like Saul when Ananias blessed him, "And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith." (Acts 9:18) I think this can be used metaphorically to show how the process of repentance, or the "mighty change of heart" will open our eyes to good.
Moreover, we are not alone in the world and are influenced by others. Some choose evil and cause death and destruction which hurts us, directly or indirectly. Some of this pain affects our whole life, and is hard to forgive. However, it is essential that we forgive everyone of everything so we can begin to see God. All the evil that touches our lives must be gone and forgotten because it will cloud our vision. We sacrifice justice, giving mercy to others, so we can obtain mercy and see God.
The Way, the Truth, and the Life
The way to see God, then, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These are step-by-step instructions on how to come to know God, and have Eternal Life. "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3) This is how the prophets Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Isaiah, and all others, as well as many other people came to see God. Jesus Christ is the way. When Thomas wanted to know how to get to God, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) There is no other way. Only by following the Savior into the depths of humility and doing as He did we can see God.
In finding faith in Christ and repenting of our sins, our hearts are gradually changed to good. We then have the ability to see all that is good around us. As we give up seeing evil and begin searching for good we start to see the hand of God in all things. We see the wonder of the world and all its creations. We see the stars and the infinity of the Universe. We are awed by each life. No two creations of God are exactly alike. No two leaves on all the trees, no two blades of grass, no two snowflakes, no two animals, and no two people are alike. All of Gods creations are infinite and wondrous. He has provided every needful thing for the growth of His children. Everything is planned. Nothing is left out. All is right. All is good. He truly is "in all things." He really is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. He is love; He sent His only Son so we could return to Him. The whole plan is perfect! How awesome is our God!
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