Bowing Down
Why Is It Important? | Listen instead.
“Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker!” Psalm 95:6
The Hebrew word kara, used in today’s Scripture, means “to bow down, bring low, kneel, or be subdued.”
People express reverence before God in different ways. Some bow their heads in prayer, some kneel as the psalmist suggests, and some may even lie prostrate before the LORD. Bowing is a form of worship; it is an outward expression of an inward attitude. In this humble and vulnerable position of submission, we acknowledge our dependence on our Creator and Savior, the One who is greater than we are and the One who can deliver us from our troubles.
"Bowing is an outward expression of an inward attitude."
When Jesus began His Sermon on the
Mount, He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).
Bowing reflects spiritual poverty. It is recognizing that we are brought low before God and utterly dependent upon
Him, of being poor in spirit*. It is acknowledging that we are powerless to save ourselves and that nothing within us naturally seeks God's ways. Scripture declares:
“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away; they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10–12).
Bowing is also a posture of submission. Servants bow before their masters. Philippians 2:5–8 tells us:
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Though Jesus possessed equal status with God, He willingly laid aside His privileges and took the position of a servant. He did this to redeem us, the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. We are called to have the same attitude, emptying ourselves so that God may fill us with His Spirit and use us to serve Him and others.
Bowing is a recognition that we cannot save ourselves or go it alone. We need God's mercy and Christ’s sacrifice to forgive and cleanse us. Through Him, we are no longer subdued by our sins and failures but are free to stand up and continue serving the One who is worthy of all praise, glory, and honor.
Oh friends, let us have hearts that desire to worship and bow down before the LORD our Maker. Let us bless Him today!
Copyright 2022 S. A. Keith
Photography by: Ben White @unsplash.com
*see the BE-Attitudes
lessons for Adult Study.
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