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Becoming too familiar with the Almighty is
one of the first indicators that our view of God is faulty.
Proverbs says that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and
the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:10). Throughout scripture we see instances of mortals finding
themselves a little closer to God
than they might have wished. Isaiah’s response was to curse himself
(Isaiah 6:5), Samson’s father and Gideon feared instant death (Judges 6:22,
13:22). Even the “beloved disciple” fell on
his face in terror (Rev. 1:17). The consistent lesson in scripture is that the
presence of God drives man to his knees in fear and awe.
We are driven to our knees because of the
sin that stands in stark contrast to the one we have encountered. This was Isaiah’s first reaction when he found
himself in the
presence of God. That is the knowledge
of the Holy One. It is the simple
understanding that God is separate and beyond me entirely. That He is perfect and pure and I am
not. This causes me to fall before Him.
Yet, He has raised us up from the pit. He has redeemed us and cleansed us by the
blood of His Son, so there is no
longer any fear of
judgment. Not only has He forgiven our
dark debt but has called us children as well (John 1:12). This too weakens the knees of the pilgrim who
enters into gracious communion with their Abba.
It wells up in us and we want to cry out, “I’m not worthy of such a
gift, but please don’t send me away.”
Fall On My Face is a song about position and
posture. It looks to God’s position in
relation to us and our posture in response to
Him. I saw the phrase “sucking
the rug” on a
t-shirt years ago at a winter youth
camp and it
struck me as being humorously
appropriate. Kneeling before God seems
to have entirely too much dignity. The
one who has the “fear of the Lord” and the “knowledge of the Holy One” cannot
get low enough before their master and king.
Pride in any form is an impossibility.
To be entirely bowled over by the person of God read Job 38-41 then
Matthew 26:37- 27:51.
“The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne,
and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the
throne and say: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor
and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and
have their being.’” Revelation 4:10-11
Suck Rug
Holy, Righteous, Perfect in everything every way
Your are Mighty and I fall on my face
Holy, Righteous, Upright,
and Faithful from age to age
I am Your child and I fall on my face
I can not rise when I am in Your presence
I am unworthy, still You call me son
I can not rise when You touch me with love
For I have failed
But still You're…
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