“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. (Isaiah 66:2)
What does it mean to “tremble” at the Lord’s word? It means holding His word in reverence. It means believing what He says is true.
It also means not seeing His word as either optional or oppressive but as optimal. It means believing the way of the Lord is perfect and His words are the path to life at its very best. That’s the kind of trembling the Lord wants for us. Not trembling with dread. Not trembling with foreboding. Not trembling with fear. Trembling with awe, desire, faith and hope in Him.
But we don’t get to that spirit by obsessing over every commandment or beating ourselves up when we fall short. We get there by growing closer to Him. Discipline and determination can change our behavior but the kind of “trembling” the Lord is after comes from the heart. And the heart is all about our relationship with Him, not following the rules. So we tremble before Him and towards Him, not away from Him in fear or shame.
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