Monday, July 5, 2021

Nahum 1:15 -- On Bringing Good Tidings and Publishing Peace

"Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off."
Nahum 1:15


This is similar to Isaiah 52:7 (and several verses in the Book of Mormon that are either quoting or referring to that verse), which says "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" I like the idea in both that we should be spreading messages of peace and joy and positivity. Too much of the world is focused on bad things, or determined to look at the bad side of everything. With God, I think there is always a good side and a good perspective to find.

Larger than the message of being able to find good in the midst of darkness though is the idea that we should be publishing it... not just talking to people about it or lightening the immediate space around us. While that is totally a good thing, I think the idea of publishing something takes us further into making some sort of a record that can lift others as well. Thus we're taught to write journals, to keep our family history, etc. But I don't think it is limited to that. We can write, make videos, participate in podcasts... anything that spreads the message of joy.

Associated with that, I wonder if evil is as simple as focusing on the negative and telling stories with bad endings... convincing people that evil will always win, and that it is doing so now. Today, let's challenge that idea, and publish some hope and joy and light, lifting and spreading God's message that there will be a happy ending in whatever way we can. :)

No comments:

Post a Comment