"Say ye not, A confederacy, to all to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread."
2 Nephi 18:12-13
It's never made a lot of sense to me to be encouraged to be afraid of God. To me, fear is something that is paralyzing... and the last thing that we need with God is another reason for inaction. :) We definitely need some respect for God, and fear could come in there I suppose... the way you fear the disappointment of someone you love more than life... or the way you fear the look of pain in someone's eyes. Maybe I just don't understand it enough. ...Anyway, that aside, I think this scripture goes beyond saying something like we should be afraid of God. I think that it points out the difference between what matters and what doesn't. If God is central to our lives, then we don't have to fear anything except his will. And sometimes his will and ours don't mesh, and it IS rather frightening to try to reconcile ourselves to that. But the things that "everyone" fears won't be able to touch us with even a hint of fear, if we are focused on God and an eternal perspective. Death can't hurt us. Pain is temporary. Injustice will be righted in the end. Today can be enjoyed without guilt or regret.... if we only do what we should. So, that's what I got from this today... that I shouldn't fear silly things that don't matter, or things that can't do me any permanent (read: eternal) damage. I should just be worried about the things that God wants to happen, and worry about making sure I am ready for those things... which is a big enough job. :)
Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread."
2 Nephi 18:12-13
It's never made a lot of sense to me to be encouraged to be afraid of God. To me, fear is something that is paralyzing... and the last thing that we need with God is another reason for inaction. :) We definitely need some respect for God, and fear could come in there I suppose... the way you fear the disappointment of someone you love more than life... or the way you fear the look of pain in someone's eyes. Maybe I just don't understand it enough. ...Anyway, that aside, I think this scripture goes beyond saying something like we should be afraid of God. I think that it points out the difference between what matters and what doesn't. If God is central to our lives, then we don't have to fear anything except his will. And sometimes his will and ours don't mesh, and it IS rather frightening to try to reconcile ourselves to that. But the things that "everyone" fears won't be able to touch us with even a hint of fear, if we are focused on God and an eternal perspective. Death can't hurt us. Pain is temporary. Injustice will be righted in the end. Today can be enjoyed without guilt or regret.... if we only do what we should. So, that's what I got from this today... that I shouldn't fear silly things that don't matter, or things that can't do me any permanent (read: eternal) damage. I should just be worried about the things that God wants to happen, and worry about making sure I am ready for those things... which is a big enough job. :)
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