Mosiah 4:11--The Greatness of God and Your Own Nothingness

And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

King Benjamin paused in his speaking, and the crowd had a powerful experience with the Spirit where they proclaimed their belief in Jesus Christ and cried out for forgiveness of their sins through the atonement. The Lord responded by letting his Spirit descend upon them so that they received a remission of their sins and were filled with joy.

King Benjamin recognized the experience and knew the people were in a humble state. I think he wanted them to remember how they felt in that moment. He told them to remember the greatness of God, which is what they had just experienced along with their own nothingness. In the verses that follow they are given promises of such things as joy, remission of sins, peace, and knowledge.

I have had experiences where I felt the greatness of God and my own nothingness. I will write about those experiences to my children so that they will know. Writing will help me remember.

One thing I'm curious about is why King Benjamin says "I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance..." What is the difference between remembering and retaining in remembrance? Maybe remembering is a single action that can happen over and over, like you might remember something or call it to mind a dozen times in a day, but retaining in remembrance is a state of mind, so that you don't have to call the thing to your mind a dozen times in the day because it's always on your mind. I don't know.