Worship is bowing the knee. It is a lowering of oneself in the presence of someone greater. Jesus’ famous encounter with the woman at the well in John 4 speaks to the primary relationship of people to God. Jesus said God is looking for people who will bow the knee to Him in spirit and in truth.
The woman at the well was concerned with the place people worship. Jesus told her not to be concerned with the place. He told her the knowledge of who the knee was bowed to was of more importance than the place the knee was bowed.
Worship is a giving of worth. When we worship, we pin value on the one to whom we are lowering ourselves. God desires all men to bow their knee to Him in spirit and in truth. It is not that we make up things to praise the Lord for in worship. Instead, we confidently identify and declare the things God is or does that make Him so great.
Psalm 95 is an example of worship. The children of Israel, entering the promised land, received rest from war and ability to enjoy the land. They took the time to bow the knee to God by doing the following:
- Singing to God, for He is the foundation of their deliverance.
- Praising God with the giving of thanks for all His provision.
- Knowing the Lord is the God above all gods.
- Acknowledging God has made the whole world and possesses everything in His hands.
- Kneeling before the God who made them.
These examples represent the proper way to worship God in spirit and in truth. The knowledge of who God is and what He has done enables us to know who we worship. We are bowing down to the one we “know.” We acknowledge who He is and what He has done. The expression of what we know God to be and who God is allows us to worship in spirit and in truth.
Written By: Anne Gurley
