Kneeling Before God Reveals Our Hearts

In the New Testament, God commands us that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, not only in Heaven, but on earth as well, acknowledging with bodies and tongues that Jesus Christ is Lord.

"Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place

and gave Him the Name that is above every name,

that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in Heaven and on earth, and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father."

Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV)

Kneeling before God's not only shows our obedience, respect, and honour to Him, but also compels us to focus our attention completely on Him, not on ourselves or our surroundings.

Come, Let Us Bow Down In Worship

If Jesus came down to earth in human form again and met with us, what would be the first thing we would do? I think we would immediately fall to the ground and bow in reverence before Him. Why? Simply because of who He is and who we are.

The Bible portrays Solomon as praying to God before the altar of the Lord, kneeling and spreading his hands towards heaven.

"When Solomon had finished all these prayers

and supplications to the Lord,

he rose from before the altar of the Lord,

where he had been kneeling

with his hands spread out toward heaven."

1 Kings 8:54 (NIV)

Today, however, kneeling in prayer and worship before God seems to be no longer a common practise, publicly in churches, but also privately in the personal lives of Christians. Is this because of hardened hearts? pride? lack of respect and honour? too busy of a schedule?

I can't help but wonder what would happen if God's people were to humbly kneel before His presence in prayer or worship. Would it make a difference in the power and extensiveness of His presence in their lives and in the church? It must! Because the Bible tells us that when we come to our Lord and Maker to worship, we are to kneel and bow down, not stand up throughout the congregation like tin soldiers looking ahead, focused on critiquing the worship singers and musicians.

"Come, let us bow down in worship.

Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker."

Psalm 95:6 (NIV)

I think the majority of churches today have lost their way in their practise of worship.

God Views Our Communion With Him As A Sweet-smelling Incense

Every time God's children talk with God, it is like a sweet-smelling incense to His nostrils. Whenever we say "Thank you!" for things He has blessed us with, or ask His guidance for our decision-making, or seek His wisdom in understanding the perplexities of life, or make requests for ourselves, or make appeals for those we love, or ask forgiveness for wrongs we have committed, or simply chat with Him, we are worshipping God.

"May my prayer be set before you like incense;

may the lifting up of my hands

be like the evening sacrifice."

Psalm 141:2 (NIV)

It is not a public display or show that reveals true genuine worship, but rather your everyday walk and talk with God when no one sees or hears except for your Father in Heaven.

Is The Bread Of The Presence Before Worship?

When the children of Israel lived in the wilderness and became hungry, God fed them manna, a flakey white substance that fell from heaven like dew during the night. Early each morning, except on the Sabbath, when no manna fell, the Israelites had to go out and gather the manna from the ground. Then they could grind it or pound it into flour and make bread to feed themselves.

The Bible says that God was teaching His people a valuable lesson by letting them go hungry and then feeding them with manna — a lesson to be remembered by all people in all times.

"Yes, He humbled you

by letting you go hungry

and then feeding you with manna,

a food previously unknown to you

and your ancestors.

He did it to teach you

that people do not live by bread alone;

rather, we live by every word

that comes from the mouth of the Lord."

Deuteronomy 8:3 (NLT)

The bread by which God's people today are to live is EVERY word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

The symbolism of bread appears again in the Old Testament: before the priests, Aaron and his sons, could enter the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle of the Lord, which is where God's glorious presence was, they had to partake of the Bread of the Presence that was to remain on the table before the Lord at all times.

"Place the Bread of the Presence on the table

to remain before me at all times."

Exodus 25:30 (NLT)

These are symbolically parallel to what God's people must do to worship God before entering His presence. First, we must cleanse our hearts, and, second, we must partake of the Bread of Life — the Word of God. Watching video clips, telling jokes, sharing Internet information, and maybe, somewhere in all that mess, throwing in a few popular verses from the Bible isn't what God means. We are to respect, delight in, and live by His Word.

After the cleansing process and the partaking of the Bread, God's people are to enter worship and communion with Him. We are not to rush to church, chat in the foyer with friends, walk into the worship service late with unclean hearts and hands, sing songs of praise pretending to really mean the words, partake of the few "crumbs" offered by the message, sing one last song, leave, and then wonder why we didn't feel God's presence and why He seems so far away.

My Soul Yearns, Even Faints

Our whole nature, body, and soul should ardently long for God's beautiful presence. In God's presence our bodies finds rest and healing, and our hearts find serenity, joy, certainty, God's perfect love, and all His goodness! Both our hearts and our flesh should cry out for the living God — to experience Him in all His fullness.

"How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord Almighty!

My soul yearns,

even faints,

for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and my flesh

cry out for the living God."

Psalm 84:1-2 (NIV)

Many young girls today will faint at the sight of their male teen idol, reaching out desperately just to touch him. They long for him. They think and dream about him day and night. It is the same with many young boys. They will flush at the sight of their female teen idol. Their hearts will race and their bodies will perspire. They long to be able to have just one moment to share with her. The yearnings of these young girls and boys are futile. They will never be fulfilled. They are only fantasies based on falsehood images.

God, on the other hand, is real, and His presence is true and accessible to all those who love and believe in Him. But how many of us crave His presence? Do our souls yearn for Him? Even faint? Do our hearts and flesh cry out for Him?

It is in God's presence that we will find what we have always longed for.

Do No Cast Me From Your Presence

"Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me."

Psalm 51:11 (NIV)

Is there anything in our lives that is holding back God's presence? Is there anything in the church that is obstructing God's presence, so that only a few are experiencing Him and being saved, transformed, healed, and delivered?

If we desire more of God's presence and glory in our lives and in the church, we, as individuals and as a church, need to regularly ask the question, "Is there anything in my life (or in the church) that God would wants us (or the church) to remove or give up so that we (or the church) can enter the blessings of His presence and be saturated by His love, glory, power, and holiness?"

One night, at two in the morning, God woke up both me and one of my teenage sons. As I lay in bed, wondering why I was so wide awake, I heard some rustling noise and someone roaming the house! When I got up to check who it was, I discovered it was my sixteen-year-old son. He was getting a large black garbage bag out of the kitchen cupboard and throwing all his computer games into it!

I was stunned, but also amazed at the same time. When my son heard God's voice to remove, not his shoes, but his computer games from his life, he obeyed. And God's presence fell so heavily on both of us that night in the quietness of a dark living room that our bodies began to shake. As I laid my trembling hand upon his shoulder and tried to pray over him, I could hardly speak. Words failed me. All I could do was sob mumble-jumble in God's presence.

Do you desire more than anything God's presence in your life, in your home, and in your church? If so, God might ask you, or the church as a whole, to remove, give up something, or cleanse before you can enter His glorious presence.

Take Off Your Shoes

When Moses, while in the wilderness, went to investigate a flaming bush that did not burn up, God called to him and told him to not come any closer. In fact, God told Moses to take off his shoes, because he was standing on holy ground.

"'Do not come any closer,' God said.

'Take off your sandals,

for the place where you are standing is holy ground.'"

Exodus 3:5 (NIV)

I am certain that Moses, at that moment, took off his shoes quicker than any man has ever done. But why would God ask Moses to take off his shoes when he was in the presence of God? There are several answers to this question:

• Shoes collect dirt and grime; God is pure and holy. Therefore, the act of Moses's taking off his shoes symbolized God's character.
• Taking off one's shoes in many cultures is a sign of respect. For instance, in Canada, we take off our shoes before entering a person's home so that we don't track dirt onto his/her floors. This shows our consideration for others.
• Taking off one's shoes shows humility before a sovereign God. Standing barefoot strips a person of any pride.
• A person's shoes often reveal his/her wealth, and God does not want any love for our material gains to stand in the way of our relationship with Him. We are to desire God and God alone.

Do we hinder God's presence in our lives and churches by the clothes we choose to wear? Of course! Many times the clothes we choose to wear reveal the contents of our hearts. Such offensive clothes includes garments with skulls, personal items or clothing with pictures of male or female idols, t-shirts with crude or rebellious sayings, clothes designed with rips or gaping holes, and clothes worn for seduction.

If we desire the fullness of God's presence in our lives, our ministries, and our churches, we need to show our honour, respect, humility, heart's desire, and obedience in what we wear and what we don't wear.