The Way Up is Down

I'm not sure who needs a word from God today. I don't know what your circumstances are or the struggles you face. Only God does. He knows where you are at, what your needs are and He waits for you. He waits for you to enter the door to heaven through Jesus and approach the throne. He waits for you so He can extend his mercies and flood grace upon you. The holy God, Ancient of Days, Creator of all things, Holy One, Most High, First and Last, the Great I AM has set His heart on you and calls for you to come into His presence.

Will you approach the throne?

Through humility we bow to meet Him. Just as the road is narrow, the gate of the door is also low. So we must stoop, stoop, stoop to enter the door. As Beth Moore always says "In Gods economy, the way up is down." How true that is my friends. To seek a deeper sense of God we must first render His glory. We bend our stiff necks and submit ourselves. Falling face down to the God that deserves our reverence.

Beginning this year, my prayer was to go deeper, love more, having a deeper love as Christ has. What I am finding as my prayer is being answered, is that the way to this is a broken pride and a humble heart. All chains of bondage must be broken, all pride must be extinguished and all of my own gratification must be set aside.

Matthew 26:39 - He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."

As Jesus was about to face the impossible task of the cross, He too struggled with His flesh. His response was to "fall face down" before the Father and make His request known. He shows us the way up; the way to a deeper presence with the Father is down.

Face down is the position of humility, of complete submission, that breaks the stiffness of our neck and draws us to the foot of the throne. We walk boldly through the door, which is Jesus, into the throne room, approach the Father and fall down at His feet. Often His response is to comfort us. To pull us up from the floor and draws us into His arms. Other times we are asked just to sit with Him while He tells us of His plans.

So as I seek a deeper walk with, a closer resemblance to and truer love of my Savior Jesus Christ, I have begun a journey up through falling down.

I humbly fall face down, my back to the sky and praise Him for the greatness that He is. I spend my first few moments in His presences showing Him the reverence that is due. Bent over this morning, as I reflected on the greatness of who He is, the power of Psalm 8 swept over me and I cried tears love for Him.

Psalm 8:1 - O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens!

His glory is above all the earth and the Heavens. How glorious is that! Hallelujah! Praise His name!

Verse 3-4 - When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him?

He made EVERYTHING. Who are we that he is concerned for us? He is mindful enough to care personally for each and every one of us. How amazing! How amazing!

Verse 5-6 -For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.

We were made as a creation lower than the angels but yet we are given glory and honor. We are given a position of dominion, ruling over what God himself created with His hands. He put the other creations under submission to us. Sinful creatures as we are, made lower than the heavenly angels, we will be allowed to one day reign with Christ.

The only response to that are shouts of praise! We do not deserve what we have been given.

I leave you with this. In the desert after all was ready and the priest prepared to finally begin their ministry in the tabernacle, Aaron blessed the people and sacrificed their sin offering. The glory of the Lord appeared to the people, and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and all the fat on the alter. The last line in Leviticus 9:24 says this, When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

Let that be our response today. Let’s shout for Joy and fall to our faces before a glorious God.