Aren’t you scared of God?

I’m not scared of God. How can you be scared of the most loving and kind person in existence? Of course, it’s natural to be scared of the unknown, and I can understand why the old testament God of the Abramic traditions might inspire fear in some people.

But once we know who God is, this knowledge will inspire love and devotion, not fear.

Fear of God is not a bad thing, in and of itself, if that’s what it takes for us to follow His directions. But inherent in fear is also rebellion. If we are fearful of God there is also the tendency to rebel against God and His directions, in order to be rid of the fear. That’s why people turn to atheism - to get rid of the fear of a God, who punishes them for their sinful activities.

"The Lord engages the living entity in pious activities so he may be elevated. The Lord engages him in impious activities so he may go to hell. The living entity is completely dependent in his distress and happiness. By the will of the Supreme he can go to heaven or hell, as a cloud is driven by the air."

(Kausitaki Upanisad 3.8)

A better way of serving God is through the process devised by God Himself in Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna advises us to surrender to Him in love and devotion.

Anyhow, the first thing to discover about God is how great He is. Maha-vishnu’s one exhalation and inhalation lasts 311 trillion solar years, and that is also the life-span of our universe. Universes are generated from God’s skinpores, as He exhales, and destroyed again when He inhales. Imagine how great God is, when His one breath lasts 311 trillion years.

But His greatness is a preliminary understanding of God. Higher than worshiping God in awe and reverence is to relate to Him as friend, child, or lover. This becomes possible when one is allowed entrance into God's circle of personal associates, by the mercy of guru and Krishna.

God does not display His mercy by giving us material opulence like a nice house and a Mercedes. Krishna’s mercy on us is displayed by His acceptance of us into His personal association.

But few people, even the so-called religious people, actually want to associate with God. They just want to enjoy their body and its culture, with no interest in God’s enjoyment, so God stays away from such people. Nature, or God’s external energy, is put in charge of people who want to enjoy their body and its relations.

They may want to enjoy by being pious and religious, but Krishna has no interest in our piety, or our good deeds. Krishna doesn’t take a personal interest in us, until we want to surrender ourselves to Him in loving devotional service.

Krishna says:

One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God. —Bg 18.55

Now hear, O son of Prtha, how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt.

I shall now declare unto you in full this knowledge, both phenomenal and numinous. This being known, nothing further shall remain for you to know.

Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.

--Bhagavad Gita 7.1–3