Yesterday, I went back to school. More accurately, I went to Spanish River Christian School as the guest speaker for the Middle School chapel. I told the students that I was going to ask them a number of questions leading up to a very important question. I began with this line: When was the last time ...?
Seeking their participation, I asked them to raise a hand if they had not done what I was asking in the last week.
- Took a walk (a few hands went up)
- Ate an apple (more hands went up)
- Ate broccoli (more hands went up)
- Played hopscotch (even more hands went up)
- Jumped off the high dive (almost all the hands went up)
- Did a BO check (a smattering of hands went up . . . hmmm)
- Told a teacher, "You are amazing!" (not enough hands went up)
Then we turned to Psalm 95. I let them know that buried in that passage was something we should be doing, but might be ignoring. I'd like you to consider this as well.
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
The Psalmist begins by urging us to give God praise, to march into his presence singing with joyful thanksgiving.
Why?
Because God is beyond compare. He deserves it! He carved out Carlsbad Cavren, gave us the grandeur of the Himalayas, the immensity of the Seven Seas, and with just a few strokes of his brush, God even painted the desert.
So how do we respond to such greatness? The Psalmist continues:
"Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!"
There it is! Awareness of God's majesty can only lead us to humility. Three times in that verse the Psalmist sends us to our knees, each word conveying a humility of spirit:
Worship - To pay homage by falling flat on the ground.
Bow down - To sink down to one's knees in reverence.
Kneel - To kneel down in praise.
So here is the question:
When was the last time you bowed down before God?
When was the last time your bent knees reflected your humble heart? If it has been seven days, it's been too long.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.
Don't wait another day! Drop to your knees and praise him who has made you his own.
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[1] Word studies from Keil & Delitzsch, The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible