how to change your focal length: part 4

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. - Psalm 95:6

Time for a quick recap. In this series, we're looking at how different types of praise can help to change our focal length, so that we're focused more on Heaven, rather than ourselves. We've already seen that 'halal' praise encourages us to be loud and visible, and that 'yadah' was all about casting up our hands and being vulnerable in battle.

The next Hebrew word for praise is 'barak' and it gets right to the heart of the idea of refocusing, of realigning, and of changing position.

Barak means 'to kneel'.

Like yadah, barak is a physical action, a posture; it helps us to refocus because it's all about our position.

Lenses work because of positioning. One thing is a certain distance (the focal length) from another, and the light refracts to a point where it can be processed. A lens only works when everything is in the right place.

Similarly, to help us change our focus, it's important to understand our worship-position in relation to the Father. And kneeling is a great demonstration of this, because it shows how to be aligned, it reveals the power-balance, and it quickly deals with pride. It's a fantastic physical display of humility and vulnerability, just as a servant shows a master, a subject shows a king, or a man shows a woman he would like to marry.

I think sometimes pride subtly tries to shift the focus back to ourselves, and we have to spot it and re-position. It's hard though, kneeling: it's the position of someone who risks execution, or banishment, or rejection. It's the handing over of power, control and authority and submitting ourselves to something much greater.

It's good though - because God loves the heart that kneels. And this form of praise really does display to the world how the balance works when we're aligned with him!

So, this week's challenge: You might not be physically able to kneel, but that's okay - it's a heart-attitude. See if you can figure out ways to train your heart to kneel, during your worship times. If you can kneel, the physical action says a lot too, so why not give it a go? It's possible that your brain will try to persuade you that you don't want to (especially now that I've suggested it). Well, override it! See what happens when you collapse your pride and submit yourself to God. Let your body display your heart, and show the world how to bring praise to him, on your knees.