I remember vividly an experience I had as a small boy.
One day while playing with my friends,
I accidentally broke a window in a store near our home.
As the glass shattered and the security alarm blared,
a paralyzing fear filled my heart and mind.
I realized immediately I was doomed
to spend the remainder of my life in prison.
My parents eventually coaxed me out from a hiding place
under my bed and helped me to make amends
with the store owner.
Fortunately, my jail sentence was commuted.
The fear I felt that day was overwhelming and real.
You undoubtedly have experienced much greater feelings of dread
after learning about a personal health challenge,
discovering a family member in difficulty or danger,
or observing disturbing world events.
In such instances, the distressing emotion of fear
arises because of impending danger, uncertainty, or pain
and through experiences that are unexpected,
sometimes sudden, and likely to produce a negative outcome.
In our daily lives, endless reports
of criminal violence, famine, wars, corruption, terrorism,
declining values, disease, and the destructive forces
of nature can engender fear and apprehension.
Surely we live in the season foretold by the Lord:
"And in that day ... the whole earth shall be in commotion,
and men's hearts shall fail them."
My purpose is to describe how fear is dispelled
through a correct knowledge of and faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ.
I earnestly pray the Holy Ghost will bless each of us
as we consider together this important topic.
Upon hearing the voice of God after partaking
of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve
hid themselves in the Garden of Eden.
God called unto Adam and asked, "Where art thou?
And [Adam answered], I heard thy voice ... , and I was afraid."
Notably, one of the first effects of the Fall
was for Adam and Eve to experience fear.
This potent emotion is an important element
of our mortal existence.
An example from the Book of Mormon
highlights the power of the knowledge of the Lord
to dispel fear and provide peace even
as we confront great adversity.
In the land of Helam, Alma's people
were frightened by an advancing Lamanite army.
"But Alma went forth and stood among them,
and exhorted them that they should not be frightened,
but ... should remember the Lord their God and he would deliver
them.
Therefore they hushed their fears."
Notice Alma did not hush the people's fears.
Rather, Alma counseled the believers
to remember the Lord and the deliverance
only He could bestow.
And knowledge of the Savior's protecting watchcare
enabled the people to hush their own fears.
Correct knowledge of and faith in the Lord
empower us to hush our fears because Jesus Christ is
the only source of enduring peace.
He declared, "Learn of me, and listen to my words;
walk in the meekness of my Spirit,
and you shall have peace in me."
The Master also explained, "He who
doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward,
even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world
to come."
Trust and confidence in Christ and a ready reliance
on His merits, mercy, and grace lead
to hope through His Atonement in the Resurrection and eternal
life.
Such faith and hope invite into our lives
the sweet peace of conscience for which we all yearn.
The power of the Atonement makes repentance possible
and quells the despair caused by sin.
It also strengthens us to see, do, and become good in ways
that we could never recognize or accomplish
with our limited mortal capacity.
Truly one of the great blessings of devoted discipleship
is "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding."
The peace Christ gives allows us to view mortality
through the precious perspective of eternity
and supplies a spiritual settledness
that helps us maintain a consistent focus
on our heavenly destination.
Thus, we can be blessed to hush our fears because His doctrine
provides purpose and direction in all aspects of our lives.
His ordinances and covenants fortify and comfort
in times both good and bad.
And His priesthood authority gives assurance
that the things that matter most can endure
both in time and in eternity.
But can we hush the fears that so easily and frequently beset
us in our contemporary world?
The answer to this question is an unequivocal yes.
Three basic principles are central to receiving
this blessing in our lives: first, look to Christ;
second, build upon the foundation of Christ;
and third, press forward with faith in Christ.
First, look to Christ.
The counsel Alma gave to his son Helaman applies precisely
to each of us today: "Yea, see that ye look to God and live."
We should look to and have our focus
firmly fixed upon the Savior at all times and in all places.
Recall how the Lord's Apostles were in a ship, tossed
in the midst of the sea.
Jesus went to them walking on the water,
but not recognizing Him, they cried out in fear.
"Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer;
it is I; be not afraid.
And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou,
bid me come unto thee on the water.
And he said, Come."
Peter then walked on the water to Jesus.
"But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid,"
began to sink, and cried out, "Lord, save me.
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand,
and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith,
wherefore didst thou doubt?"
Now, I envision Peter responding fervently and immediately
to the Savior's invitation.
With his eyes fixed upon Jesus, he stepped out of the boat
and miraculously walked on the water.
Only when his gaze was diverted by the wind and the waves
did he become afraid and begin to sink.
We can be blessed to conquer our fears
and strengthen our faith as we follow the Lord's instruction,
"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."
Second, build upon the foundation of Christ.
Helaman admonished his sons Nephi and Lehi, "Remember,
remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer,
who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build
your foundation; [for] when the devil shall send forth his
mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea,
when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you,
it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf
of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which
ye are built, which is a sure foundation,
a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."
Brothers and sisters, ordinances and covenants
are the building blocks we use to construct
our lives upon the foundation of Christ and His Atonement.
We are connected securely to and with the Savior
as we worthily receive ordinances and enter
into covenants, faithfully remember and honor
those sacred commitments, and then do
our best to live in accordance with the obligations we
have accepted.
And that bond is the source of spiritual strength
and stability in all of the seasons of our lives.
We can be blessed to hush our fears as we firmly
establish our desires and deeds upon the sure foundation
of the Savior through our ordinances and covenants.
Third, press forward with faith in Christ.
Nephi declared, "Wherefore, ye must
press forward with a steadfastness in Christ,
having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God
and of all men.
Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting
upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end,
behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."
The disciplined endurance described in this verse
is the result of spiritual understanding and vision,
persistence, patience, and God's grace.
Exercising faith in and on the Holy name of Jesus Christ,
meekly submitting to His will and timing in our lives,
and humbly acknowledging His hand in all things
yield the peaceable things of the kingdom of God
that bring joy and eternal life.
Even as we encounter difficulties and face
the uncertainties of the future, we
can cheerfully persevere and live
a "peaceable life in all godliness and honesty."
We can be blessed to hush our fears as we receive
the fortitude that comes from learning and living
gospel principles and resolutely pressing forward
on the covenant pathway.
Different from but related to the fears we often experience
is what the scriptures describe as "godly fear" or "the fear
of the Lord."
Unlike worldly fear that creates alarm and anxiety,
godly fear is a source of peace, assurance, and confidence.
But how can anything associated with fear
be edifying or spiritually helpful?
The righteous fear I am attempting to describe
encompasses a deep feeling of reverence, respect, and awe
for the Lord Jesus Christ, obedience to His commandments,
and anticipation of the final judgment
and justice at His hand.
Thus, godly fear grows out of a correct understanding
of the divine nature and mission of the Lord Jesus Christ,
a willingness to submit our will to His will,
and a knowledge that every man and woman will
be accountable for his or her own sins
in the day of judgment.
As the scriptures certify, godly fear
"is the beginning of knowledge," "the instruction
of wisdom," a "strong confidence,"
and "a fountain of life."
Please note that godly fear is linked
inextricably to an understanding of the final judgment
and our individual accountability
for our desires, thoughts, words, and acts.
The fear of the Lord is not a reluctant apprehension
about coming into His presence to be judged.
I do not believe we will be afraid of Him at all.
Rather, it is the prospect in His presence of facing things
as they really are about ourselves
and having a perfect knowledge of all our rationalizations,
pretenses, and self-deceptions.
Ultimately, we will be left without excuse.
Every person who has lived or will yet live upon the earth
"shall be brought to stand before the bar of God,
to be judged of him according to [his or her] works
whether they be good or whether they be evil."
If our desires have been for righteousness
and our works good, then the judgment bar will be pleasing.
And at the last day we will "be rewarded unto righteousness."
Conversely, if our desires have been for evil
and our works wicked, then the judgment bar
will be a cause of dread.
"We shall not dare to look up to our God;
and we would fain be glad if we could command
the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us
from his presence."
And at the last day we will "have [our] reward of evil."
As summarized in Ecclesiastes: "Fear
God, and keep his commandments: for this
is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment,
with every secret thing, whether it be good,
or whether it be evil."
My beloved brothers and sisters, godly
fear dispels mortal fears.
It even subdues the haunting concern
that we can never be good enough spiritually
and never will measure up to the Lord's requirements
and expectations.
In truth, we cannot be good enough or measure up relying
solely upon our own capacity and performance.
Our works and desires alone do not and cannot save us.
"After all we can do," we are made whole only
through the mercy and grace available through the Savior's
infinite and eternal atoning sacrifice.
Certainly, "we believe that through the Atonement
of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws
and ordinances of the Gospel."
Godly fear is loving and trusting in Him.
As we fear God more completely, we love Him more perfectly.
And "perfect love casteth out all fear."
I promise the bright light of godly fear
will chase away the dark shadows of mortal fears
as we look to the Savior, build upon Him as our foundation,
and press forward on His covenant path
with consecrated commitment.
I love and revere the Lord.
His power and peace are real.
He is our Redeemer, and I witness He lives.
And because of Him, our hearts need not be troubled or afraid,
and we will be blessed to hush our fears.
I so testify in the sacred and holy name
of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
Amen.