"Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men."
Joseph Smith's gung-ho older brother took the trip to visit the translation site sometime in May 1829, likely after the Restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood. Like a few we'll see in ensuing Sections, he was among many whose thoughts after feeling assured that Joseph really did receive revelations from God turned to asking him to ask the Lord what would be best for them specifically and individually to do.
The response here contrasts with the message given to their father--who was told to share more openly the testimony he had of God's workings with his son, especially to Oliver Cowdery who was living with him at the time--and basically says instead, "hold your horses."
It's possible to explain the differences by appeal to personality--Joseph Senior was reticent and needed a push, Hyrum was too eager, and needed some temperance. It's also possible to think about timing as the factor--the Lord knew speaking to Cowdery would provide material aid for the translation project, but needed Hyrum to hold off until the Book of Mormon was published before he really sunk his teeth into missionary efforts publicizing the newly Restored Church.
But thinking about how this verse might apply to me personally, or to everyone generally, I have to focus instead on the meaning of "obtain." As a full-time missionary myself, I often took this to be about information. I have to know a thing before I can teach it. That's fair enough as a principle of humility goes--you shouldn't pretend to know more than you do, therefore you should always strive for more understanding than what you currently have.
It's also an important spiritual principle. The Holy Ghost certainly can inspire worthy people with words of wisdom beyond their own intelligence, but even with the Apostles, that's not how it normally proceeds. It's a gift that is present in the time of teaching to allow truth to penetrate the mind and heart, but primarily, it's not a magical conduit to new information, but rather will bring the right things to remembrance at the right times.
So how do you know when you've "obtained" enough to begin sharing? Certainly in Hyrum's case, more of the "word" was set to be available shortly, and from his study of the Book of Mormon, the interpretive range of a vast number of doctrines and practices extant in the broader set of Christian beliefs would narrow to the core, distinctive set of them. As his brother had learned, likely days before, Hyrum would discover only after the publication of Joseph's translated manuscript that authorities were necessary for certain covenantal ordinances--and therefore that the creeds of nearly all of the Protestant religions were missing something key. He would discover that baptism was necessary to salvation as Catholics insisted--to the chagrin of many Protestants who wanted to believe that saving by faith meant that no rituals or mediating authorities should be involved at all in any personal relationship with the Savior--but that it required immersion, which they don't practice. Hyrum would learn so much more in his Book of Mormon studies about the nature of the fall of Adam, the nature of the Atonement of Christ, the purpose of this mortal period, infant baptism, the resurrection, and the proper resolution of the faith vs. works debate. For him, there was a clear, material thing he should "obtain" and examine as the Word of the Lord, only after which would he have sufficient new information from which to begin preaching truth.
For us, however--even though we are under the same challenge to make sure we are familiar with all of God's extant "word" before claiming to preach from it--there's a sense in which we will never fully "obtain" it. Paraphrased from Heraclitus of ancient Greek philosophical fame who once stated this about a river, a man never reads the same passage twice because it is not the same passage and it is not the same man.
One other available, more discretely self-measurable meaning is available, however, when recalling John's esoteric and mystical description of Christ as THE Word. can we obtain a testimony of Him as our Savior? That's an off or on binary. And if we can "obtain" THAT Word--have the assurance of His atoning blood covering OUR personal sins, being alive in Him--then this scripture's result clause seems reasonably triggered also: we will have His Spirit and His word to share, unto the convincing of those of our interlocutors honestly open to that same Spirit of edification and peace.
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