KNEES DOWN, EYES UP

KNEES DOWN:

We are driven to their knees when problems, difficulties, trials, tribulations and obstacles come our way. I call these as times of great spiritual deaths. Spiritual death arises due to several factors and can impact three major areas of our lives: 1) As Individuals, 2) As a church, youth group, community or group, 3) As a nation. The Bible talks about 3 major instances that reveal what happens when we go on our knees during such spiritual challenges.

1. Individual Challenges
   Daniel 6:10 “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”
   
   What an amazing example of what to do when you face direct challenges on your life! Daniel knew that his life was in danger. He knew that the lion’s den was waiting for him, yet, he chose to go on his knees to the Almighty Father in heaven. His assurance was that the God that he continually served will rescue him. When we face similar challenges, threats, hardships… do we get down on our knees and look toward heavenly Jerusalem and seek God’s face or do we just get muddled up in the challenges and allow the devil who is as a roaring lion to devour us? We are called to fight on our knees. Our God is a great God.
   
   
2. Challenges that arises against a Church, youth group, or community
   Acts 9:40 “But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.” Here we find that Dorcas who was also known as Tabitha had died. She was a very generous woman and did lots of good works and was a “pillar” in the community. When she died, it affected many people around her. Many widows were standing around her dead body and crying. They had lost all hope of Tabitha ever coming back to life. The entire community was grieving and had no answers.
   
   Enter Peter into such a situation. He did not allow the tears or hopelessness of the people around him to discourage him. He put those who were crying outside, and then knelt on his knees and prayed, then looked at the dead body and commanded it to arise; and the woman arose! Oh what faith! When we get down on our knees, there is an answer to prayer. Peter on his knees raised a woman from the dead. His prayer on bended knees helped bring life into a dead community, it helped bring about a revival in the land and many believed on the Lord.
   
   Challenges that face our church, our youth group, and our communities can be confronted head on if we start on our knees in prayer.
   
   
3. Challenges that face a Nation:
   1 Kings 18:42 “So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees”
   
   There was no rain for three years and six months. Famine had penetrated the land, idolatry had seeped into the hearts of all of Israel, and the land was filled with wickedness and heavy with the sin of the people. James 5:17 tells us that Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain for three years and six months and then he prayed that it would rain and the heaven gave rain. He realized that the only way for the nation to be saved was if there was a public display of God’s tremendous power. The verse tells us that Ahab went up to eat and to drink, but Elijah went up the mountain to fall on his knees. What a contrast between an earthly man and a spiritual man. God will answer us when we approach him with bended knees.
   
   Getting down on our knees to pray is a wonderful sign of submission, a sign of humility and reverence to our master. I miss those days in India, when I used to go down on my knees to praise God and to glorify him. Now I wonder if the crease on my pant or the dust on the carpet is stopping me from kneeling down and paying obeisance to my God. Over the past 2 weeks since the general body meeting, I have personally received so many answers to prayers as I went on my knees seeking God. Dear people of God let me tell you plainly; “Knees Down” works.

EYES UP

When we are In an “Eyes Up” state, God reveals himself to us in 10 different ways. We will learn of them in the next few issues.

1. God the Creator – Isaiah 40:26-31: Isaiah gives us a powerful illustration of who God is. He asks us to lift up our eyes and look to the heavens and the starry skies and ponder on its origin. Have you not heard about the Everlasting God or the creator of the ends of the earth? By his great power and might he protects his creation and calls them by name. He does not grow tired or weary, but gives strength to the weak and to those that wait on Him. This same God is our creator, who called us by our names and called us His sons and daughters. Yes children of God, let us look up to God our creator, out of whom we all came forth.
   
2. God of Promises - Genesis 13:14,15; God asked Abraham to lift up his eyes and look north, south east and west and promises to him that all the land that he sees will be given to him and his offspring forever. God is a promise keeping God. No matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 1:20, NIV). This is an amazing verse. God is a God that not only makes promises, but is also a “promise keeping” God, and the Bible asks us to go ahead and speak “AMEN” to every promise that God has given us because they are “YES” in Christ. This is an awesome privilege to a child of God. We do not have to wonder, wait or worry about our promises, but as soon as we hear God’s promise over our life, let us go ahead and say “AMEN” to it in faith even before it actually happens.
   
3. God our Provider– Genesis 22:13. “Abraham looked up and there in the thicket he saw a ram, caught by its horns, he went over, caught the ram and sacrificed it instead of his son.” What a beautiful illustration of God’s provisions. To me, those horns speak of stubbornness. When I think of this ram, I think of all the ways that the devil stubbornly stands in between us and God’s provisions. But God catches those elusive provisions by its horns and brings it to us. But Abraham had to lift up his eyes to see this ram that God provided. After offering the ram as a sacrifice, Abraham named that place, Jehovah Jireh (Genesis 22:14)
   
4. God’s Help – Psalm 121:1,2:  Here David says “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”  When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we need to lift up our eyes and look up to the hills, Mount Zion, (Psalm 48:2), where the great king, our God sits. He is the maker of our universe and our Lord.
5. God’s Mercy – Psalm 123:2: “As the eyes of slaves … their master, as the eyes of a maid … mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy.” When we humble ourselves in the hands of the Lord and look unto Him, we will find mercy.
6. God’s answers – 2 Chronicles 20:12: “We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.” Jehoshaphat and his army were in a war against the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites, and the Bible says that Jehoshaphat was terrified of his enemy. But he does one thing – look to God for his answers. We see how God answers Jehoshaphat in the following verses and gives him a great victory.
7. God’s Grace – Psalm 34:5: “They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.” God shone the Light of His salvation upon us who were walking in darkness through his Son Jesus. Romans 8 tells us that there is no condemnation those who are in Christ Jesus. How wonderful is the grace of God.
8. Harvest of God – John 4:35: Jesus tells his disciples that the time is NOW to harvest the fields of the Lord. He is the Lord of the Harvest (Matthew 9:38) and Jesus asks us to look at Him for direction while we reap the harvest of souls.
9. God’s healing – Acts 3:4: “Then Peter said, ‘Look at us!’” The lame man was expecting to receive alms from Peter and John, but instead he received healing – Miraculous Healing!!! Exodus 15:26 says that the Lord is our healer. Let us look to him for our healing.
10. Jesus only – Matthew 17:8: “When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.” A beautiful illustration of how God reaffirms the first commandment. Peter, James and John went up with Jesus to the mount of transfiguration. There Jesus was transfigured and his face shone like the sun and his clothes were white as the light. The disciples then saw Jesus speaking to Moses and Elijah and immediately thought of setting up three tabernacles for them. But God immediately spoke from the cloud confirming Jesus as the Son of God. When we look up, we should see only One God, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and have no other gods before us (Exodus 20:3)

God bless you
For New Creation
Santhosh Mathews