Mar. 22 | Barak, to Worship by Kneeling Down
Psalm 95:6, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel [barak] before the Lord our Maker.”
What is the most common position you think of when you imagine praying to God? Most people think of kneeling before Jesus as one does a king. The idea of kneeling is not one of earthly origin but rather heavenly. Before God and His throne people are kneeling and worshipping Him even right now. John recorded in Revelation 19:4, “The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: ‘Amen, Hallelujah!’” Also, we read in Acts 20:36 that Paul kneeled in prayer, “And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all.”
In the above psalm, the author, like a good worship leader, is calling people to bow down to God in worship. He says to all the people, “let us kneel (barak) before the Lord our Master,” because we should acknowledge the greatness of our God. The Hebrew word “barak,” means to “kneel in worship.”
It’s good in our worship to display physically what our hearts are doing spiritually before God. By bending our knees in submission and reverence to God, we are expressing our inner humility and gratefulness.
Remember, the bending of the knees is not the main thing God is looking for. He is looking for the “bended heart” that is bent towards His will. At the same time, just like singing and shouting praises to God uses our vocal cords, we should also be willing to use our body to kneel before God and acknowledge Him as the Lord our Maker.
Kneeling is important, because it shows that we are dependent upon God and not our own strength. It removes the excuses that I am too tired to pray, because I can rest my physical body while my spirit presses into the will of God. Jesus set the example of kneeling when He prayed on the Mount of Olives in Luke 22:41. E.M. Bounds wrote, “Jesus taught that perseverance is the essential element of prayer. Men must be in earnest when they kneel at God's footstool. Too often, we get faint-hearted and quit praying at the point where we ought to begin. We let go at the very point where we should hold on strongest. Our prayers are weak because they are not impassioned by an unfailing and resistless will.”
Don’t forget that to bow down in worship to anything other than God is idolatry, so we ought to be careful. Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego we should never compromise who or what we kneel down to (Daniel 3). Also, a time is coming when everyone will bow down before Jesus- Buddha, Mohammed, Hitler and every other person who has ever lived (including the devil and his demons) will bow down before Him and confess Him as Lord. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:10-11, “10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Therefore, the question isn’t, “Are you going to bow before God and declare His praise?” But rather, “When are you going to bow and worship God, now as His child or on Judgment Day as a sinner being sent to eternal damnation?”
Reflection
Action
- Humble your heart before God by confessing any sin in your life. Remember, the spiritual comes first, then the physical.
- Make time to regularly kneel down and worship Jesus as your God and Creator.
- Live your life “bent” to the will of God.