A City On Its Knees

A City on its Knees

9/29/15

Many references are made to cities and this type of representation will include everything from individuals to entire nations. The condition of these exemplified cities also falls to the same categorical standards which should personalize our thoughts about these issues.  The Bible is very specific about cities and their appearances and while this subject has been written about many times, including myself, the spiritual condition of the cities God is wanting us to examine thoroughly again.  Making sure that our city is lighting up the correct way both for our personal lives and for our nations as well, for it is our choice to be on our knees, whether it is voluntary accomplished or by God’s mighty hand; consequences differ greatly.

Being labeled as a city has many implications that should warrant a closer examination of that person’s life.  And in the case that a city is being referenced as a nation this type of comparison should be further warranted since a larger representation of people is the subject of such example.  This type of classification also places implications of how the person or place has arrived at this status and most importantly how that personage is projected towards others.  Many times we do not even think about being this type of example, but if we stop and think about what our lives represent to others it becomes crystal clear that we are indeed such a description. 

We also must understand the meaning of a city on its knees because there is one of two ways that this example can occur.  It is vital for us to realize that it is through our choices that we arrive at one of these two ways and both endings are of eternal value.  We often forget about this eternal ending, but it is just that, a permanent and eternal place of gatherings that are determined which way we either an individual or a nation, becomes situation on its knees.  As this article unfolds place your heart into the thinking mode and reflect about yourself as an individual and the nation that you live in, then see which city on its knees is represented.

A few years back there was a popular Christian song out called “City On Our Knees” that was written by Toby Mac.  The song has a wonderful message in it because it describes the atmosphere of the persons who voluntarily bow their hearts to God when we kneel before God and pray for guidance.  This song represents so many of the saints, ministers regular Joes, and sinners before us who have made the choice to commit their lives to God’s ways instead of living as the world deems fit.  No, their lives were not made any easier by living in this manner nor was their life journey any smoother, all was rough but through God’s help and guidance each one of them had an eternal light that shone to whomever they were around and through this light these people had numerous opportunities to witness and spread the Gospel to a dying world.  It should be common knowledge that if we are not shining our light for God’s Kingdom then we must not be voluntarily representing a city on its knees for God.

These people voluntarily placed their lives in the hands of God and the only way that they could do this is to bow their hearts to God by praying.  Of course they were mocked, laughed at and even ridiculed but their lives were different for their belief and commitment to God and His ways.  The world does not and cannot understand the difference that bending our knees to God has and what kind of strength it gives us when we voluntarily perform this act.  If we continually seek God and His ways through prayer He is faithful and just to hear our hearts and to provide extraordinary measures of wisdom so that we can make it through each day.  These bended knees and hearts are a true symbol of dedication and freedom that only God can provide and as long as we complete this bended knee and have an open and true heart, God shall protect His children in all circumstances.

If we choose to bend our knees to God voluntarily then God has a way of allowing our daily routines to glorify Him without us even knowing.  Our individual lives mean so much to others and to the world and for most of us we do not even know that this truth collides with sinners every second of the day and night.  We are the Kingdom of God, each and every one of us that was what we were created to be and it is through the light of God within our lives that advances God’s Kingdom or on the other hand, advances the kingdom of Satan.  We are called to be separated from this world and to defeat the worldly presence from our lives, not to invite it inside our hearts.  A bended knee will have the same type of heart, bended towards God and thus ensuring our light to shine while we walk into the darkness that encompasses the world.

When we stand up and proclaim this bended knee the world shall automatically have a response and it will not be pretty, for your bended knee towards God represents surrender to Him and not to the ways of the world.  We cannot help but notice that others will not agree with our choice, but it is a choice that shall bring us purity and holiness to our Creator, not our temporary dwelling place.  In this position our city on its knees will be looking towards the only eternal source of life and protection that can be offered and will have such an enormous amount of spiritual and supernatural strength that is beyond our comprehension.  It has been demonstrated throughout the Bible and if one reads history they will see that there are countless events that have been waged that have no other explanation than God alone.

The other aspect of being on our knees is totally opposite of the voluntary settings, for this situation is always a defeated knowledge and the ending outcome is not a favorable one.  As history has dictated there are countless examples of kings, queens and other royal figures on their knees in a position of submission to their conquering foes.  It does not take too much research for one to understand that when a person loses a battle or war the victor shall always have a regimen that includes some type of humiliating ceremony for the defeated.

This type of procedure is completed for a purpose, one that serves both sides of the ended battle or war.  For the victor, it is a sign of complete authority over the conquered and it serves as a “changing of the guard” for the leadership of the losing representative State.  The ceremony is usually conducted on the battlefield or in the conquering lands with plenty of witnesses, again on both sides of the battle or war.  It is meant to be a final judgment of the losing kingdom and what lies ahead for its subjects and sets the fate of the leader of that kingdom in motion and with almost 100% efficiency that result ends with an eternal rest for the loser.  The glorious magnitude that the winning ruler portrays makes a lasting statement on the newly acquired subjects and slaves that have been taken and the attitudes and presentations of the winners also sets into motion the reality of the non-royalty as well.  Total capitulation is now in force and all compliance is demanded for the winner has spoken and their word is now the loser’s law.

For the loser of this battle or war, a totally new way of life or in many cases end of life is forged.  In almost every account, the leader of such kingdom is either put to death or placed into permanent confinement so that they can never have any further influence on the conquered people and lands.  Their reign is over and even though they fought valiantly for their kingdom, their fight lies in vain.  They are forced to write their names into the history books and other documents and words as a memory.  A defeated king on their knees in front of the conquering king has no honor in any form and can only represent an entire wiping from human life.  This is why many defeated leaders throughout history have had their lives ended almost immediately after the battle or war was completed, it sends a direct message to others who may have adverse thoughts of performing the same acts against the stronger leader.

When a person is on their knees in this capacity all dignity and fortitude of life has been stripped away.  There is no longer any available cavalry to save the day nor is there any ally coming to aid their release.  The leader or captives are placed on their knees for a reason, total surrender at the feet of the victor.  When a person is in this position involuntarily no power or strength remains in their lives and they have no choice but to take their punishment.  It is also understood that these people who have been placed in this position have also been on the other side of the issue and had others on their knees in the past.  At one time, they knew winning and peace on their terms, but now the tables are turned and their fate has been determined.

I have shared with you two types of settings when people are on their knees and while some may not agree with these examples both are very relevant to our lives today.  It is a given that the world will mock those who voluntarily bow their knees to God and pray for His guidance and help, it is also a given that the world will consider these people weak, hapless and non-useful in the world’s societies.  If a person is viewed as such then that means that person is doing exactly what God wants them to be, separated from the world representing a different Kingdom than the kingdom of death that the world offers.

This type of voluntary bowing of the knees will also mean that when we complete this motion in the presence of God that we will not be doing so and begging for our eternal lives but receiving our eternal reward for a job well done.  Even in this setting we shall understand that in no way deserve such grace and gratitude from a perfect Creator but speechless when He looks at our life and only sees holy blood over our existence.  Our finite minds cannot comprehend this feat but I know that one day I shall witness this act.  While my eyes will be focused on Jesus and all of the beauty that surrounds my presence, I still will no understand all that is around me but I shall have the assurance that I will have an eternity to do my best to understand those glorious details of God.

On the other side of this war, there will be those who will not be in the same glorious conditions for their knee bowing setting will be of another standard.  They will not be a part of the victorious crowd that has previously passed but will be a part of those who will not be present and in communion with God for eternity.  God shall not make a mockery of your life but only show the exact details of your life and compare them to what His Word has decreed as truth in life.  Then at some point He shall once again look directly at your spirit and wish to see nothing but blood and yet sees your naked spirit cringing at the sight of absolute truth.  It is at this time when your embarrassment will not be exploited by God but sadly will be taken away from His presence to enter into the eternal setting of isolation from Him, all on account of the choice you made during your life.

It is important that we understand this concept on an individual level but there is another level that is evident that we have forgotten about and that is a national level.  A nation can be represented in this exact way when it comes to bowing its knees.  It is easy for us to ignore this principle and easy for us to write this concept off but when we do ignore this truth we are setting ourselves up to be involuntarily bowed on our knees in front of our enemies, or in front of our Creator. 

There is no question that when a nation places God first in their practices and beliefs that country is blessed beyond measure. These blessings may not always be in monetary measures or in stature but in many other distinguishable ways their blessings stand out above the crowds.  With this admission and stance the portions of the world who do not agree with this stance shall demand that you comply with their differing standards, yet when and if this country admonishes these other opinions further contemptuous isolation shall be present.  As we have witnessed over the past Israel has been the epitome of this type of worldly hatred and isolation yet while this type of activity is continually launched in their direction they have stood tall for God and have received countless restorations and blessings from God Almighty.

I wish that I could say the same type of stance has been taken by this country, but if I made such a claim I would immediately be called, and rightly so, a complete liar.  This country has subjectively committed herself to isolating God and instead bring in the world’s opinions as her foundation.  We were created as a beacon of hope and truth to anyone who wishes to live in such manner but over time we have corrupted that standing and have made ourselves into an idolatrous State which serves and provides only what seems right in our eyes.  In other words we have stood up from our humble and holy foundations and are now refusing to return to our knees for our guidance; thus, taking the divine representation off our hearts and replacing it with a selfish stigmatism as our guide.

There cannot be any more precise example than our current country’s beliefs to show whoever wants to know about our stance with God.  We have no intentions of returning to our knees and present our hearts back to God.  We refuse to acknowledge Him as our foundation and our Creator, yet we ignorantly plunder in the blessings that He has given us.  It is this type of behavior that defines a defeated king when it comes to the ultimate victor of our existence and it is one that will shortly reverse its trend from the conquering side to the conquered side.  There is no way that God shall allow our existence to continue its sinful course and for Him not to do something about it.  We are a special land and specially created light to the world, but God did not spare His own chosen people from destruction because of their haughtiness and sinful demeanor in His eyes.

It is clear that we as an individual and as a nation have a choice to either voluntarily bow our knees before God or to be forced to bow before Him.  An individual is a single representative and when a single representative finds friends than they are on their way in becoming a nation with a specific goal.  Those goals will influence our choices and will eventually become our laws and thus place us on our knees before God for guidance or place us on our knees before God for judgment.

When this country bowed before God she was on top of the world and a defender of the truth for all who wanted the same.  But now, our hearts refuse to bow before anyone but our own selfish desires and at some point God will have to bring us back to our knees but this time it will not be on a voluntary setting.  God will at some point say “enough” and will have to turn our conditions against us.  We have missed the last two warnings and are beginning to believe that God is allowing us to slide bye once again.  But this belief is wrong and just as He has done in the past He will strike a blow that will bring us to our knees again.

But when this time comes, it will not be as a conquering kingdom but a defeated kingdom which once knew the glory of winning.  This land is God’s and our hearts belong to God and the choices that we make are ours but shall always secure our fate, either right or wrong.  As of this second we still are standing tall as a beacon of hope but that beacon is weakly lit and its light is fading fast due to our contentious behavior with God and it is this root that the world has allowed to be planted in our hearts that will lead us to be stricken to our knees.

As of this very second, we still have an opportunity to cry out to God for help, salvation, and restoration but it is very unlikely that this heart motion shall occur.  I pray for this country and its current status in God’s eyes and I also pray for my status in God’s eyes.  I want to voluntarily bow before God and to place my life and eternal life in His hands, not mine.  I can only hope that this country will do the same immediately for if we do not God shall take our mantle away from us and break it into pieces, for He cannot be associated with voluntary sin.  The just and the unjust shall be included in this act for even innocent children were used and sacrificed when nations and kingdoms were conquered, both by other kingdoms and within kingdoms themselves.

One thing must be kept in mind about this situation that we are facing, if we do not repent now and allow God to bring us to our knees according to His ways, it will mean that the entire world shall never be the same again.  There is no question that our presence as an intact and functioning country means a great stability to the world and if the beacon of hope within the world is supernaturally taken out, then there cannot be any question that the remaining portions of the world shall follow.  God love each one of us and it is His desire to see us on our knees asking Him for directions and guidance.  This is our communication line to Him and if we return to our knees now, as a nation, maybe we can stop the devastation that is about to fall upon us.  God is still calling His cities to be a light unto the dying world, but in order for us to understand this calling we must be on our knees before Him and speaking to him on an individual level for if we do not accomplish this communication skill with God our position of knee bending will change, both now and for eternity.  The question remains, which city on its knees will you be?

DLB