Read Psalm 95:5-7. 5Thesea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6Oh come. Let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our maker! 7For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
From an invitation to exuberant praise, the psalmist now invites the worshiper to humbly bow, kneel, and lie prostrate before God. He is God and we are not. This is not regression but progression. When our joyful praise is truly rooted in who God is, as it was in verses 1-4, the result should always be a humble confession of who we are in comparison. When the church service is all dancing and no bowing something isn’t right.
Verse seven moves us from seeing God as the transcendent creator to seeing him as our personal Shepherd. He is not only God; he is OUR God. We are HIS people, HIS sheep. This is true intimacy. The intimacy that is ours in Christ.
Jesus said I am the Good Shepherd (Jn. 10). You are mine. You are my sheep who know my voice. I personally brought you into my fold. My care for you is constant. It is sufficient. It is personal. Will you come fall down before my loving care? Will you submit to my kindness? Will you let me shepherd you?
To live is Christ is to find your true self, your place in this world while bowing at the feet of Jesus our Shepherd King. Submitting to his personal care over your life. Finding grace in following, peace in pasturing, and joy in humility.
You: Does your joyful worship produce humble bowing? If not, why not?
You in Christ: How does submission to Christ as our shepherd actually reveal our true self?
Christ in you: In what ways have you seen Jesus shepherding you lately?
Prayer. Father, I kneel before you as my maker but also my shepherd. Help me to know my place – I am yours – and submit to this place of true peace and joy in your Son. Amen.
To Live is Christ 