When does God bow down?

Psalm 86:1 states, "Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy." The God of the universe is seen here bowing down. The infinite creator and Lord is seen humbling Himself to someone. But to whom does he bow down? The great and important? The beautiful and famous?The wealthy and educated? No, God bows down to no one except the poor and needy. Those that cry out to him. Those that humble themselves to Him. When a sinful and desperate person falls on his face before Him, the Lord of Hosts bows down to listen to his faintest whisper of longing.

The arrogant and proud and disbelieving are met with a King on a throne of judgment. This is the God that they fear. The contrite and poor in spirit only have the privilege of seeing God bow down to them in love, and forgiveness, and mercy.

One thing is needful: you must bow down to Him for Him to bow down to you.

God With Us

In the New Testament the first time we see the word "God" it is not in an ethereal spiritual atmosphere. The first time we're told of God, a woman is going through labor in a stable amidst cows and sheep and dung and smells. God is with us in the midst of our greatest pain, and when all around is darkness and inconvenience. Where many would want to keep the God of the universe out among the stars, He chooses to immerse Himself in the dirt and difficulty of the common world. God reveals Himself as Emmanuel; He reveals Himself as being with us. Even though God transcends all problems, He is intimately involved in every aspect of our lives no matter how distasteful.
Of all the people that God could have preserved from going through trials, why wouldn't he Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the Holy Family? And of all the ways God could have come into the world, why would he come as the weakest of creatures, a human infant, completely vulnerable and without power? It is His desire to experience the fullness of our humanity, not our sin, but our suffering, our limitations, and our longing for the infinite. The immensity of God the Father is with us in Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. The question remains: Are you with Him?

Isaiah 12

"And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee; though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me." I have been going through a hard valley in the past several months, and my faith has been tested sorely. I have wondered why when one is trying to live their life for the Lord, the sins of others can completely undermine their walk so that they nearly despair of all joy. I have had to lay someone very precious at the feet of Jesus not knowing if they will ever return to me.

I believe that occassionally the Lord will ask a sacrifice from us. Oh, not a sacrifice for sin. That has already been done in Jesus on the cross. This is a sacrifice of our heart and our love laid down in willingness because we want the Lord "more than these." When he takes us through the valley of sacrifice, he knows there will be tears, and anger, and sadness, but he also knows that at the end of the valley, if we continue to walk, there is hope in joining him "in that day." He sees something in us unlike His holy being and it must go. Then he meets us on the road of our life where he holds out his hand into which he wants us to place that which is so precious to us. We shout "No, this is mine, you cannot have this!" And he just calmly, patiently waits while we cry and despair and thrash. And finally in a heap at his feet we give it up. And when we finally do, their is comfort far greater than the thing we cherished could ever give to us. That comfort is union with Jesus.

Look into his eyes and ask him what he wants in sacrifice. You will know.