Bowing Before Jesus
Now I love what Peter does next. With Jesus in his boat, a miracle happens, and all these fish fill his boat. Peter realizes: this man in my boat is more than a man. There’s something special about Him. He must be God in the flesh!
And so in reverence and amazement, Peter bows down at the knees of Jesus: We read “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.” (Luke 5:8–10 NIV)
Changed by Worship
Peter on his knees is a picture of change. He’s not on his knees because he’s been defeated; he’s on his knees in worship.
Lives are changed when we are on our knees in worship. Lives are changed by Jesus when we see Him for who He is and fall down in praise and worship. Lives are changed by Jesus not because He makes everything easy and solves our problems, but because when we realize who He is—God in the flesh—we bow down and call Him king in our lives.
Then, our desires, motives, ideas, values, actions, and thoughts change. A friend of mine in P.E., a Methodist minister, sent me a message the other day of a rewrite he did of an old hymn. You know the hymn “Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross”? He and a friend rewrote it like this: “Bow down, bow down to Jesus, you servants of the Cross.” A beautiful change of perspective!
Now I believe the Christian life is both a bowing down to Jesus and a standing up for Him. But this reminded me that to live a changed life, my life must be bowed down in praise and service of this God.
Who or What Do You Worship?
Napoleon once said: “If Socrates would enter the room, we should rise and do him honour. But if Jesus Christ came into the room, we should fall down on our knees and worship him.”
A question: who or what is God in your life? What do you “bow down” to and organize your life around? Pleasure? Possessions? Money? Work? Family? Other people’s opinions? What if Jesus is coming into your life today to say: I am the ONE. You’ve found what you’re looking for in me. I have the love, the power, the peace, and the joy you are seeking. Your life would change if you seek these things in me above all.
And so my friends, bow down today. Bow down in reverent awe of this Jesus, worshipping Him with all your heart. It’s only when Jesus takes His place as the one you worship, that your life can truly begin to change.
