An Inspired Thought

Hear Him Series – Painting No. 1

Before Joseph Smith heard the voice of the Father and The Son in the Sacred Grove, he first received an inspired thought.

As a young man, Joseph was surrounded by competing religious opinions and sincere people who disagreed about truth. While reading the scriptures, he encountered the invitation found in James 1:5:

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God."

This painting captures the moment that possibility first entered his mind. What if answers to life's most important questions could come directly from God?

This work is the first painting in the Hear Him series, which explores Joseph Smith's journey to receive personal revelation. Rather than focusing solely on the First Vision itself, this series examines the path that led to it—the study, pondering, questions, faith, wrestle, and action that prepared Joseph to receive an answer.

In creating this painting, I wanted to portray the quiet nature of revelation. Joseph sits alone with the scriptures and his thoughts. The lamp illuminates the room, symbolizing the light he had already received, while his gaze turns away from the page as he considers a new possibility. The answer had not yet come, but the first step had just been given.

Before Joseph received a vision, he received an idea.

In a world overflowing with information and opinionsand now AI-generated answers, President Russell M. Nelson has taught that we will not be able to survive spiritually without the guiding influence of the Holy Ghost. Joseph's experience reminds us that revelation often begins in simple ways—a scripture, a question, or an inspired thought placed quietly in the heart.

Every answer has a beginning.

For Joseph Smith, it began with an inspired thought.