Speaking With The Lord

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, returned from speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father. (1 Nephi 3:1)

Interestingly, Nephi doesn't give us the details of this conversation he had with the Lord with the exception of 1 Nephi 2:19-24. He is writing on the small plates which are the ones on which he intended to record the things of the Spirit.

Could it be that the rest of the conversation was too sacred to record? Was this experience too personal to share? We should not worry that Nephi didn't give us every detail. We should follow his example and be selective about how and with whom we share our personal spiritual experiences. 

Neal A. Maxwell said, "President Marion G. Romney cautioned about the inappropriate sharing of certain spiritual experiences, suggesting that we might have more of them if we would not talk so much about them! We must be careful not to 'trifle' with sacred things (D&C 6:12)." (If Thou Endure It Well, p. 108)

Secondly, this phrase, 'speaking with the Lord,' is reminiscent of Exodus 33:11 in which the Lord speaks to Moses 'face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.' The brother of Jared also had a similar experience. Thus we see that the Book of Mormon confirms the Biblical truth that God is a personage, with a form like man's although more glorious, and that God usually speaks to prophets 'as a man speaketh unto his friend,' and not with burning bushes.