Every Knee Will Bow

Transcript

Hello, my friend… so glad you're with me today. This is By God's Call — day 341, Every Knee Will Bow.

"So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:10-11.

These two verses are the high point of one of the oldest hymns the church has ever sung. It opens by telling how Christ, though he was God, emptied himself, took the form of a servant, humbled himself to the point of death — even death on a cross. And right when the story seems destined to end in defeat, it turns. "Therefore God has highly exalted him." And the verse we just read is where that hymn erupts into glory.

Notice the first phrase: "at the name of Jesus." Not a distant title, not a philosophical idea about deity in the abstract. It's a specific, human name — the same one his mother called when he was a boy in Nazareth. That same Jesus who was born in a manger, who sweat blood in the garden, who was mocked and crucified — it is before that name, exactly that one, that all creation will bow.

And look at the scope: "in heaven and on earth and under the earth." Paul is describing the three spheres the first hearers recognized as the entire universe. No corner is left out. No spiritual power, no human empire, no force that looks dominant today — none of it will escape this final submission. Every knee. No exceptions.

And then: "every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Think about the weight of that phrase for the people who first heard it. They lived under the Roman Empire, where confessing "Caesar is lord" was a demand of political loyalty, and refusing sometimes cost your life. And Paul writes, with tremendous courage: one day, every tongue — including Caesar's, including any power that looks imposing today — will confess that it is Jesus, and no one else, who is Lord.

But notice where all of this lands: "to the glory of God the Father." This is beautiful. The Son's exaltation never competes with the Father, never fights Him for space. From beginning to end, this is exactly how the Father receives glory — through the Son who humbled himself and was exalted. There is no rivalry in the Trinity. There is a perfect dance of shared glory.

Now, my friend, this scene is going to happen whether you prepare for it now or not. One day, every knee will bow — willingly or not. The question left standing is this: do you want to arrive at that day as someone who was already bowing, or as someone caught by surprise?

So today, before this day fills up with everything else demanding your attention, I want to invite you to do this now, on purpose: bow your knees. Really, if you can. And declare out loud: "Jesus Christ is Lord" — over one specific area of your life you're still insisting on keeping under your own control. Your finances. A relationship. A decision you've been putting off. Bow the knee now, willingly, before that final day.

Stay close to God. Pray — then act. I'll see you tomorrow, my friend.