Bow Down To Draw Near!

December 16, 2021

Bow Down To Draw Near!

Christmas trees are going up, family gatherings are being planned, and Christmas songs are all around all the time.  It’s a sacred season focused on the Lord God drawing near to all of humanity. 

We are in a season of good news…the best news!  And yet, there may be some moments in which we wonder about God’s drawing near to us.  Will we be ready?  Will we be open?  Will we recognize the outpouring of God’s love in Jesus?

Our questions are helpful.  When Jesus was born in Bethlehem no one noticed that God was drawing near.  It took a choir of angels bowing down to the earth to even get the attention of some shepherds taking care of their sheep.

Bowing down is a posture that prepares our heart and mind and soul to receive the Savior when He draws near to us.  In Psalm 95:6 we hear; “O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”

Even those who are very far from God, understand that sometimes it is helpful to bow down in the presence of our Holy God.  Mark tells us that Jesus walks by a cemetery and notices a young man shackled with chains. When the young man sees Jesus, he runs towards Jesus and bows down before the Son of God. 

In Mark 5:6 we hear; “When he (a young man possessed with demons) saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him…”  Jesus proceeds to cast out all kinds of demons that have been terrorizing the young man. 

The young man draws near to the Savior and then bows down.  There is something that opens the heart and the mind and the soul when we bow down.  Bowing down is a posture of surrender in which we humble our heart and reverence the Savior.

On the night the Son of God was born in Bethlehem, the angels leave heaven.  They come down and bow down to earth to announce the birth of the Savior.  In Luke 2:13-14 we hear; “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven…’”  Bowing down often creates an opportunity for a holy moment in which we come near to Jesus.

Sometimes I wonder if the holy moment for which you are longing will come when you bow down for a while.  Like the angels, surrendered to what God wants to do.  Like the angels, in awe of who God is.  Like the angels, in wonder of the birth of the Son of God.

During these weeks before Christmas, I invite you to bow down and draw near to Jesus.  Be still.  Be quiet.  Be open.  Like David said long ago; “O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”

When we draw near to Jesus, our heart will be filled with delight; a delight not unlike the angels’ delight when they announced the birth of the King of Kings.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug