Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.
When there's an unexpected knock at the door, plenty of us go quiet and peek through the curtain before deciding whether to answer. If the thought of God makes you do something similar, you are in good company. It's easy to come away believing that God keeps people in line by scaring them, and that faith is mostly a matter of being frightened into behaving.