Do You Tremble?

Jeremiah 5:22a
"Do you not fear me? declares the Lord;
Do you not tremble before me?"

Many times when we think of ways to express our desire to grow in our Christian faith, we use words like these:

LOVE - FAITH - JOY - CONTENTMENT - INTIMACY - DEVOTION - TRUST

All of these words represent aspects of a faithful Christian walk that are indispensable. Still, there are two words in Jeremiah 5:22 that we don't hear too often in discussions about Christian growth:

FEAR - TREMBLE

What's the purpose of these concepts for a Christian who is saved? Aren't the realms of fear and trembling for those who are not believers and, therefore, are facing eternity without Christ? For Christians, there is no need to fear these things since our sins are forgiven and heaven awaits, right?

The words that come just before the verse quoted at the beginning of this post in Jeremiah 5:21 are sobering:

"Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not; who have ears, but hear not."

In verse 20, the Lord instructs Jeremiah to "declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah." House of Jacob! Judah! Wait a minute, those are God's people! They aren't supposed to fear and tremble...God is on their side! Not in this section of Jeremiah. God is warning of the coming judgment that will result from the people's rebellion against Him. Over the years, their zeal for the Lord grew cold and they turned to worthless idols for satisfaction.

If my 'Christianity' is anything less than a life-changing, all-consuming, ongoing encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, there is much room for fear and trembling in my life. If I'm just going through religious motions, but my true passions lie in other things, how am I any different from Judah in Jeremiah 5? Do I cling to the 'sinner's prayer' that I prayed when I was 15? Do I visit the signpost I planted on the day of my baptism? Do these events have any meaning in the face of a life that is not truly fueled by Jesus Christ? For all who claim Christianity, yet fail to see fruit that comes from faith in their lives, fear and trembling need to play a significant role as motivators for faith and repentance.

Suppose my life is fueled by a growing and dynamic relationship with Jesus. Suppose I have assurance of my salvation that has grown as I've witnessed God-wrought changes in my life that only happened because of the free grace given to me in Christ. Do fear and trembling have a place in my life?

Absolutely! If my focus as a believer is on God, not merely on His gifts (like heaven), my number one passion will be to exalt His Name and spread that passion to other people. There is one major obstacle to fulfilling that passion, however...me! Fear and trembling come in because I know how weak I am; how incapable of bringing honor to God; how hopeless as a guide to the lost and perishing in the world. I'm like Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:3-5:

"And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

My greatest desire in life is that people will see and know the beauty and wisdom and power of God! I pray that the Lord will help me fulfill that desire with fear and trembling that serve to keep me humble and faithful in pointing people to Jesus rather than myself.