Stress Test Devotional May 4
May 04, 2024
Psalm 95:6-7 | 6 O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 7 For He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice!
Kneeling in our current social context has several controversial meanings, in particular as a way of protesting racism or discrimination. Like many other gestures, it is fundamentally ambiguous, or open to interpretation, depending on the context.
But genuflection in religious practice has definite focus. Done by Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and some Orthodox, it is a sign of submission, an acknowledgment of the special dignity and
authority of God. It may have been part of Israelite worship practice.
Culturally it was a way to honor kings in Persia and then in
Alexander’s empire. In the Christian west, kneeling on the left knee was done for human authorities. The right knee was used in church when the sacrament was covered, both when it was exposed.
Have you ever knelt in prayer?
