Tremble over Trials: One of the biggest secrets to overcoming hard times that many Christians don
One of my biggest secrets to keeping a sharp relationship with Christ is Trembling. Maybe you’ve never been taught to tremble before God. Maybe you’ve never even heard of it. I can honestly say I have never really heard it spoken of from a platform before. I think I remember learning about it in my theology courses in college. But the place I see it the most is in the Bible. Examples of it are all over the Bible, especially when people see angels. They would also do it before kings. We’ve all trembled before, we probably just didn’t know exactly what it was. When I was in middle school, I trembled before bullies because I didn’t want to get beat up or made fun of in front of tons of peers. Maybe you tremble before your boss because you don’t want to lose your job. Or, maybe you trembled before the HAWTY walking by in the halls or at the mall because your heart just melts in their, oh so amazing, presence. I see trembling most instructed in the Psalms.
Or, maybe you trembled before the HAWTY walking by in the halls or at the mall because your heart just melts in their, oh so amazing, presence.
The Psalms are beautiful writings that simply praise God. Some can be crying out to God but I enjoy the Psalms of Praise. Like, A Lot! Psalm 96:9 says, “Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. Psalm 99:1 says, “The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble;”
So what in the world do you mean by tremble, Trevor? What exactly is Trembling? My best way of showing what it looks like from a biblical perspective is in Psalm 97. It shows exactly what trembling looks like. It’s like the epitome of tremble. This whole thing is highlighted in my bible!
It says, “The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad;
let the distant shores rejoice.
Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Fire goes before him
and consumes his foes on every side.
His lightning lights up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all peoples see his glory.
All who worship images are put to shame,
those who boast in idols –
worship him, all you gods!
Zion hears and rejoices
and the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments, Lord.
For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods...”
My favorite part is vs 5! “The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.”
To tremble isn’t just reading your Bible before God. It isn’t just praying to the Lord. It’s not just going to and being involved at church. Those are results of respect for the Lord for sure but to tremble, to fear God the way you fear that bully, that boss, that HAWT HAWTY! To come before the Lord with fear and trembling. Respect and awe. To simply be in His presence and acknowledge who He is. Give Him your praise and your time. To recognize that you worship the Almighty who created the entire universe and allow that to wreck you. Trembling before God.
I find this to be incredibly helpful when trials comes. When you face hard times, tough situations, those check mates in life, how do you find yourself handling them? Do you let emotions inside of you build up? Or maybe you let those emotions out in unhealthy ways. Well here’s an amazing secret to find hope in the midst of those trials. Tremble. Not only tremble, tremble before the Lord!
Have you ever had to stop and take a deep breath to calm down? That’s what trembling before God can do for your soul. When trials come your way you can either cave in the midst of them or you can choose to overcome them. When you choose to feed your anxieties with worry it produces death, but when you come before God in Trembling it brings life. It allows your heart, your mind and all of your inner being to acknowledge that God Almighty is greater and above those things. It opens your mind to a new perspective. The perspective that God created everything, He gave us all we have, and He has it all under control.
When you choose to feed your anxieties with worry it produces death, but when you come before God in Trembling it brings life.
When I was in Bible College, I would lock myself in a prayer chapel, shut off the lights, close the blinds, get on my face before God and tremble before Him. This daily routine would sometimes last for up to two hours specifically because I couldn’t escape the presence of God. I experienced God in those times in ways many people may never understand. An amazing intimate time with just me and my Father. When you come before God in trembling He meets you in a new way you’ve never experienced before. Words won’t be able to describe it. I’m not saying you have to lock yourself in a room for two hours. Most of us don’t have that kind of time anymore. But, you can tremble on your drive to work by marveling at the trees, the sky and the birds He gave us. You can wake up early for a few minutes and go to a separate room to be in His presence. You can go to your vehicle instead of the break room on your lunch break and meet with Him. These are just a few ways we can make time to tremble before our Creator.
I can’t actually explain it to its fullest extent but what I can tell you, is that if you decide to intentionally go out of your way to tremble before God in His presence, with no one around, He will meet you in a new way you have never experienced before. Maybe you already pray, read your Bible, study and journal. Awesome!! But if you’ve never just focused on Trembling in the presence of God, I’m telling you, it’s a game changer. Especially in the midst of trails, Trembling brings release, strength and hope in a supernatural way.
Today, as you exist in this life, take time not just to exist, but to tremble and do what you were created to do. What your soul longs to do. What you exist to do. Tremble.
