The Bible often speaks of a holy trembling that ought to naturally result when we enter God’s presence. It ought to be the normal, spontaneous response of anyone who sees God.
Our problem is that the Church has vainly tried to bring God down to a level from which people can presumably relate to Him more comfortably and naturally. Gone is the trembling. In its place is comfort and ease. We no longer are approaching our Creator, but a good friend with whom were are on the most familiar of terms. Just as we would joke with a friend in the locker room or over coffee, so we banter with God as if His opinion was merely one of many. We treat Him as if His disapproval is rare and his acceptance is wholesale.
But that is not what the true God is like. No one in Scripture who ever encountered God remained complacent or calm. To enter God’s presence was a rare and even terrifying moment indeed. You could not remain the same after having done so.
How have you been approaching God? Do you do so with reverent expectation? Do you fear that you may have unclean hands and impure thoughts? Do you assume God is simply pleased that you took time out of your busy schedule to work Him into your calendar? Or, does your heart skip a beat as you contemplate approaching the God who created the universe and who will judge the living and the dead?
When was the last time you experienced a holy trembling?