When you’ve been broken, broken to pieces And your heart begins to faint, ‘cause you don’t understand When there is nothing to rake from the ashes And you can’t even walk onto the fields of praise
But I bow down and kiss the son, I bow down and Kiss the son
When the rock falls, falls upon you And you get ground to dust; no music for your pain You opened the windows, the windows of heaven And then you opened me, and crushed me like a rose
But I bow down and kiss the son I bow down and kiss the son
Let the praise of the Lord be in my mouth Let the praise of the Lord be in my mouth
Though you slay me I will trust you Lord Though you slay me I will trust you Lord Though you slay me I will trust you Lord
I bow down and kiss the son.
By: Kevin Prosch
This song is one of the most profound pieces of Christian poetry I’ve ever heard or read the lyrics to. Its simple honesty shakes the very core of the ‘belief system’ that many of our brothers and sisters are clinging frantically to – while trying to cope with a theology that is ‘tailor made’ for this self-seeking and self-serving society in which we live.
Regardless of what our circumstances may be, or how difficult our life may be – Remember, Jesus is the Lord of all!
1 Cor. 1:23-31 We are supposed to preach Christ crucified, but that sounds too negative for much of today’s generation! Notice what kinds of things our Heavenly Boss chooses for His beloved and then decide if you need to bow down and kiss the son! Our Lord and God chooses these odd things for a definite purpose:
Things which are foolish to confuse this world’s wisdom. Things which are weak to embarrass this world’s strength. Things which are insignificant to mock this world’s concept of what’s important. Things which don’t exist to ridicule this world’s reliance on senses.
The Lord wants us to raise our sights off this troubled world we live in (as aliens), so we can experience the joy of His Glory! We can’t rest in His arms when we’re responding to life with the same values as His enemies.
Col. 3:1-4 “If you were raised with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you will also appear with Him in glory.”
Is Jesus your life? Would you say “Not my will but thine be done” when facing the cross? I wish we would, but the truth is we are too often preoccupied with:
- Image – what do others think about me?
- Approval – do they agree with me?
- Possessions – do I have my fair share of stuff?
This me, I, my junk, is the stuff of which pride is made. If we don’t conquer it, we will fall at some point in our life. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. To do that He had to lay down His own life. His promises, gifts, and callings are for a like-minded people. So, I ask again – Is Jesus your life? Can you say “not my will but thy will be done” when you are facing the cross?
Was the cross about brutal suffering and dying that we invariably emphasize, or was it about conquering death? For years I’ve listened as Christians have argued over what it means to “die daily” and I’ve come to this conclusion: Dying daily might include suffering, or might not, but what Christ wants us to see is our victory over the world’s system! We have conquered death, so let the celebration begin!
Wounded warrior, kiss the son! He is our life, and when He appears we will also appear with Him in glory! Please do not reject these concepts too quickly. Listen carefully to what I’m saying and if the Holy Spirit does not give witness to these words, I pray that He will protect you from them. Every good promise is yours, but you must seek understanding. Jesus is life, that’s why I say your existence here is not about you. Even the very life you live is an extension of the Jesus life. You live it by His faith!
Our life is a tiny piece of a great and vast mosaic called eternal life! Everything that happens to us – whether positive or negative – makes up part of this tremendous puzzle. I call it:
The Mysterious Love and the Grace of our Lord!
To a church that was about to go through terrible persecution, Paul wrote: “With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, give Him your bodies as a living sacrifice, consecrated to Him and acceptable by Him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remake you so that your whole attitude of mind is changed. Thus, you will prove in practice that the will of God is good, acceptable to Him, and perfect.” (Rom 12:1,2 JBP) A really paraphrased version of this might say, “Bow down and kiss the son!”
Too often we either quit in humiliation or wear ourselves out trying to beat the world at its own game. Friends we don’t live under this world’s rules any longer. (Rom 8-1,2) We live under a different set of laws than we once did. If they happen to kill this body we live in, so what??? We will not die, (Ps 118:17) we are eternal beings.
We will not beat this world by being wiser than them, or stronger than they are, or because we are more important than they are, nor by what we can discern logically! We are in a spiritual fight; even are weapons are different. (I’ve read the front, middle, and back of the book – the whole thing – and we’ve won!)
We won because we belong to God, who is the way, the truth, and the life, and there is no other salvation outside Him!
Can we agree that Jesus was successful? Ok, but how was He successful? Why is He renowned for being the Lord? (Read Phil 2:1-11 and see). The life of Christ was, and is, successful because He lived for others. He came to serve and not be served.
Have you ever been betrayed? On the night of His betrayal, what was Jesus doing? (John 13) He washed the disciples’ feet. When Judas brought the guard to the garden to arrest Jesus, what was Jesus, response to Judas? (Matt 26:50). He allowed Judas to kiss Him, and He asked, “Friend, why have you come?”
If Jesus had to learn obedience through the things He suffered – get ready to be pulled and squeezed, friends. Don’t fear it – just get ready – you will win! If you have been hurt, confused, troubled, or practically wiped out by something that has left you with the feeling of bitterness in your heart – answer this question to yourself: Am I more important than my Lord???
- Jesus was born in a barn, yet rejected by His relatives, the people who are supposed to love you. Did He suffer from that rejection? Did it twist His personality? Rejected and unloved people – You are not alone – KISS THE SON!
- Jesus grew up ‘on the run’. He knew that hundreds, if not thousands, of kids were slaughtered, because of Herod’s fear of Him (He knew the end from the beginning). Leaders, do you face troubles that make it practically impossible for you to ‘walk onto the fields of praise’? It’s not about you – You are not alone – KISS THE SON!
- As an adult Jesus was often misunderstood. He was the cause of many arguments and much confusion. Among His closest followers, not one actually believed that He would rise again. At His trial, not one of His disciples stood up for Him. Peter even denied knowing Him, not once, but 3 times! When Mary ran to give the disciples the word that He was not dead, not one of his Apostles believed it, at first. Have you ever been disbelieved? You are not alone – on the cross Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” But He also understood that the Father’s will was more important than His own. When it seems like darkness is the only light you can see – You are not alone – KISS THE SON!
- Jesus did not pursue what we call the ‘normal’ life. Romance, marriage, and family were not His to enjoy in this life. But don’t worry, my friend, Jesus will someday have a glorious bride! If you have struggled with the bitterness of feeling ripped off and cheated by your lot in life – You are not alone – KISS THE SON!
I believe, regardless of what I see or feel, that:
In Christ I am saved, redeemed, healed and delivered In Christ I am provided for and completely loved In Christ I am a new species of life. I am under new laws and regulations, and the old laws no longer pertain to me In Christ I have a constant source of new life bubbling up in me In Christ I have been reconciled forever, and I have been called to be His Ambassador of Reconciliation.
Loved one, it would serve you well, should you decide, to remain in Christ!
Makes you want to Kiss somebody, doesn’t it! And this list is just the beginning. There are countless treasures that are now mine. I reckon that anything ‘bad’ here is unworthy of my good fortune. I can Kiss the Son in any situation – because He is worthy!
Let the Praise of the Lord be in my mouth!