Trembling

Trembling is often spoken of throughout the Bible and I came across it a few times in my VT reading last night. Psalm 2:11 says, "Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling." The definition of tremble is, "to shake involuntarily with quick, short movements, as from fear, excitement, weakness, or cold; quake; quiver."

Do I tremble before the Lord? God tells us in I Chronicles 16:30 to "Tremble before Him". The only time I remember trembling before the Lord was the night I learned I had cancer. As I laid in bed replaying what went wrong that day trying to grasp what the initial diagnosis indicated. What happened that day? We left for the hospital thinking I couldn't possibly have cancer and came home knowing the horrible truth. I realized I could die and I was fearful. Fearful of leaving Eric and my two babies. Fearful of how they would live on without me not understanding why I was taken away from them. Fearful that they wouldn't really remember me because Katelyn was only 3-years-old and Em 4-mos.-old. That was the night I trembled and cried out to God. Then I cried out to Eric and he came and wrapped me in his arms and trembled and cried with me. We were wrapped in God's arms together that night.

It says in Habakkuk 3:16 that the prophet Habakkuk trembled, "I heard and my inward parts trembled, at the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, and in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, for the people to arise who will invade us." My study notes give more insight as to what was going on in this verse: "Hearing the hymnic recollection of God's mighty deeds of old in Israel's behalf fills the prophet with an awe so profound that he feels physically weak. Alternatively, it is possible that the message from the Lord that Babylon would be sent against Judah had so devastated him that he felt ill - until he heard the Lord's further word, wait quietly." "Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14.

That dreadful night made me feel like Habakkuk did when he heard the horrible truth about Babylon. Habakkkuk goes on to say, "Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the fines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls. Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds' feet, and makes me walk on my high places."

Here Habakkuk is probably anticipating the awful truth about what is going to happen and coming to a point of growth in his faith. He's saying that no matter what the circumstances may bring that he would still rejoice in his God. I LOVE the last sentence of the book, " The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds' feet, and makes me walk on my high places." He is asking God for sure footed confidence to go through the battle.

I think that night I trembled before the Lord is where I took a turn in my faith. Over the next few weeks I went from trembling fear to facing my reality. I'm not sure I totally rejoiced in my circumstances but I faced them head on. I called upon God for strength so that I could get through what He had placed before me.

I pray that as we go through life and face our trials that we will not forget about the Lord. That we will come trembling before Him asking for strength to make our feet like hinds' feet so that we are able to walk on high places.

Krista Jones
2.11.08