Bowing Humbly

Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

Nehemiah 8:6 (NIV)

I remember that in 2022—I was living in Canada at the time—activities were just beginning to tentatively resume following the COVID period. I visited a church that had just reopened its doors after remaining closed for a year and a half. There weren't many people there, but one could sense that the congregation felt a deep thirst to gather once again to worship the Lord with one voice. As the Scriptures were being read, a man left his pew, knelt in the central aisle of the church, and then lay down completely flat on the floor—face to the ground, with tears in his eyes. Everyone was stunned.

This is a practice we see repeated frequently throughout the Bible. Yet, nowadays, when we see someone bow before God in worship—instead of following their example—we tend to say to ourselves: "Either he has a problem, or he is suffering from a mental disorder." Abraham bowed before the angel who appeared to him. Moses bowed before God after recognizing Him within the fire. Joshua prostrated himself, face to the ground, before the Ark of the Lord. None of those who bowed suffered from any mental disorder; they all did so as a sign of respect and worship toward the God they served.

This man had bowed during the reading of God's Word because the passage being read was taken from the Book of Psalms, Chapter 5. He had contracted COVID, and in the midst of his suffering, he had made a promise to God: the day life returned to normal, he would bow down in His house, before His congregation. This man did not care what others might think of him; He humbly prostrated himself before his God to worship Him and express his gratitude. How many times have you humbly bowed before God within your congregation, without concern for what others might say about you? Sometimes, our bowing is worth a thousand words, for God sees our desire and our intention to give Him the first place—even in the presence of those who are watching us.

May the grace and peace of God be with you.