The religious need of the human mind remains alive, never more so, but it demands a teaching which can be understood. Slowly an apprehension of the intimate, usable power of God is growing among us, and a growing recognition of the only worth-while application of that power — in the improvement of the world.
–Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1935)

apprehension is an odd word choice, I think
Yes, it’s mostly used to express dread or anxiety. It’s other listed meaning is “to understand,” among other meanings,