More note’s from Matt Redman’s, “The Unquenchable Worshipper.”

When we are going out to eat with friends, how much time do we spend getting ready, cleaning up, getting dressed, etc.? How much more should we prepare our hearts when we come to worship almighty God? Do we need to take a bit more care in our approach to God?

Many people in the Scriptures, when they encounter God, end up on their knees. John falls at Jesus feet as if he were dead in Revelation 1. The 24 elders are falling down before God in Rev 4:10. Psalm 72 says all kings will bow before Him. And of course Isaiah 45:23 tells us that every knee will bow. But one of the most interesting cases is found in John 18. Jesus is in the Garden praying, when Judas leads a detachment of soldiers to arrest Him. The soldiers say they are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, and Jesus replies “I am He”. Jesus declares He is “I am”. The soldiers then withdrew and fell to the ground, every one of them.

His ultimate identity shines through, and they are somehow compelled to bend the knee, even having never met Him before. How much more then should we, as yielded worshippers of the crucified, risen and ascended Jesus, seek out some floor space. When we really pay attention to God’s worth, our worship times will start to look even more like the heavenly throne room. The angels sing, as do we. The living creatures speak out their praise, and we join them. But the 24 elders bow down on their faces. Oh, that we would see what they see and do as they do, a little more often! To bow is the ultimate physical sign of reverence.