Bow the Knee

You might be tempted to think, "The only good song to Stan is a hymn." You'd be mistaken. Take, for instance, a song, published in 1997, by Chris and Diane Machen called Bow the Knee.

There are moments on our journey following the Lord
Where God illumines ev'ry step we take.
There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us,
As we try to understand each move He makes.

When the path grows dim and our questions have no answers, turn to Him.

Bow the knee;
Trust the heart of your Father
when the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee;
Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity.
And when you don't understand the purpose of His plan,
In the presence of the King, bow the knee.
Bow the knee.

There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall,
The cold and lonely winds won't cease to blow.
And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel;
We are tempted to believe God does not know.

When the storms arise, don't forget we live by faith and not by sight.

Bow the knee;
Trust the heart of your Father
when the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee;
Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity.
And when you don't understand the purpose of His plan,
In the presence of the King, bow the knee.
Bow the knee.

The song talks about our experiences with both pleasant and unpleasant circumstances. Sometimes, as the song says, things are great. Everything makes sense, as it were. We're just fine. What is the correct response? Bow the knee. Trust God. Why do we need to hear that? Because we're funny beings. We so easily forget that "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow" (James 1:17). We take the good for granted. We fail to be grateful. So, remember, when things are looking good ... bow the knee.

Sometimes we face tough times. Job told his wife, "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (Job 2:10). Of course not! But we expect it, don't we? Sometimes, then, we face "cloudy days," "storms" in life. Sometimes they seem relentless. We even ask, "Where is God?" We can't trace His hand and find His purpose. What do we do then? Bow the knee. Don't count on our fine ability to figure stuff out. Trust His heart. And submit to His Lordship. It is our command and our destiny (Isa 45:23; Php 2:10). Might as well start now ... every day ... regardless of circumstances. Submitted in gratitude to the Lord of all is always a good place to be.

In case you haven't heard it ...