So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. And he said to the people, "Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives." Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. Exodus 19:14-19

God instructed Moses and the people to prepare themselves to enter His presence. The presence of the Lord was dramatic, to say the least.

It is not likely that any of us has seen, heard, or felt the presence of the Lord the way they did. Our worship services have not been, nor is it likely that they ever will be punctuated by thunder, lightning, ominous clouds, or trumpet blasts from Heaven. But does that mean, when we gather to worship, that we are not in His presence? Consider the following:

We cannot escape the presence of the Lord (Psalm 139:7-12). Whether God makes His presence known in dramatic ways or not, He is ever with us.
According to 1 Kings 19:11-12, though God may reveal Himself in dramatic ways, more often than not, He speaks in a “still small voice.”
“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18).
“We walk by faith not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). We do not need to see as long as we believe.

It is God’s kindness not to show us more of His glory than He does, lest we be terrified of Him.

So let us prepare to meet with God as though He were about to reveal Himself dramatically, even if He is pleased rather to reveal Himself in more common ways. Let us believe we are in His dramatic presence even when there is no drama. And by faith let us be changed by being in His presence, even if there was no drama.