Throughout Jewish history in the OT, people feared God and there were good reasons for that. God thundered on Mt. Sinai and forbade anyone up the mountain except Moses (Exodus 19:16, 21). Access to God was granted only through the high priest with very specific instructions (Leviticus) Accidentally touching the Ark of the Covenant, which represented the holy presence of God, and you will be zapped (2 Samuel 6:6-7).
God’s presence was a cause for fear but Jesus’ death and resurrection changed all that. When Jesus died at the cross, the temple curtain (veil) separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was completely torn (Matthew 27:50-51), now allowing us access to God without fear. God’s wrath for our sin has been satisfied, and we are invited into His presence: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace” (Hebrews 4:16). Today our fear of God is a reverent fear of Him, the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).
God has not changed – He is still omnipresent; but because of Jesus, our circumstances have changed and we can come to God through prayer anywhere, anytime.
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