Romans 14:11
It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”
Do we ever stop and think about the truth of this verse? Here Paul is quoting Isaiah 45:23, and I would like to reprint it in context for our consideration:
Isaiah 45:22-24 (NIV)
22 “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. 23 By myself I have sworn. My mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. 24 They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength.’” All who have raged against Him will come to Him and be put to shame.
It reminds me of another instance when Paul penned a similar expression of reverence:
Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV)
9 Therefore God exalted Him (Jesus) to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So back to my question. Do we think about the implications of what Paul has asserted? What the Prophet Isaiah before him preached? It is the same expression of reverence Moses delivered to the Israelites on the tablets of stone: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7) And believers have often been admonished, “Do no forget the covenant I have made with you … and do not worship other gods.” (Cf. 2 Kings 17:37-38) God has made it known that all people will bow to their knees before Him. We are wise to do it now … for everyone will most certainly do it later when we stand before God’s judgment seat. Yet, I scarcely think any us will have the strength to stand when we see Jesus. Oh … we will bow … and we will call Him Lord out of awestruck wonder and extreme reverence and honor….
So whatever you and I do each day … whatever demands our attention or draws us into the world … I pray that we will take a moment each morning or evening and just bow before God. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10) “Give unto the Lord the glory due His Name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalm 29:2) I believe when you take time to bow before God and acknowledge Him … you will find the stress of the day diminish and your heart will find complete rest. Oh, God wants us to know Him and to reverence Him in sincere love. And when we know Him … our hearts are filled with full conviction that He is worthy of all praise, glory, honor! Yes, we desire to worship Him and His Majesty. We joyfully and reverently bow in submission before Him because of who He is … and because of who we are. When we fall down on our knees before His presence, we express the genuineness of our faith in Him. For without faith, it is impossible to please God. (Cf. Hebrews 11:6)
So Now You Know 