“Lift your eyes and look to the heavens . . . “  (Isaiah 40:26)

My friend was telling me about a new bird feeder she was given for Christmas.  It is a sphere with metal bar openings just far enough apart so that that squirrels and larger birds are not able to get into the food source.  Shortly after the birds had discovered the feeder and were flying in and out for the first time, she looked beneath it on the ground.  There was a squirrel munching on some of the seed that the birds had allowed to fall.  The squirrel didn’t have to attempt to get into the feeder.  All it needed to do was sit below and look up.

Animals are often instinctively smarter about life than we humans.  Verse 1 in Psalm 19 tells us that –

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

So it would seem logical then that we should spend some time each day looking heavenward. Perhaps that’s why I like to have my morning devotions on my knees in front of my back window gazing up into the tree and the sky beyond.  I have seen that old tree make many seasonal changes.  Some of those seasons have been joyous times, and during others I have poured out my heart to God who thankfully doesn’t change as the seasons and my situations do.  Edward McKendree Bounds, who wrote many books focused on the subject of prayer, states that “The men who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees. He who fritters away the early morning, its opportunity and freshness, in other pursuits than seeking God will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the day. If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in the last place the remainder of the day.”

James and Paul spent hours on their knees in prayer.  George Washington prayed on his knees in the snow for his army at Valley Forge.  Recently quarterback Tim Tebow became famous (and criticized by some) for kneeling to pray before games. The devout Christian didn’t seem to care. When on your knees, you are in a position of humility and surrender.  It’s good to remember as we leave the celebration of Christmas that “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . .”  (Phillipians 2:9-10).

On your knees is a good place to be, because you can always Look Up.  As we enter this New Year, I invite you to begin a time of weekly devotions together.

Reflection:  Have you ever had a life experience that was so overpowering and burdensome that it drove you to your knees in prayer?   If you don’t already pray on your knees, maybe you should consider it.  If you are unable to physically do so, try coming up with a creative way in which you can humble yourself before God each day as you search for direction in your life.  Remember, when it comes to connecting with God, it’s not about the position of your body but more about the condition of your heart.

(Watch for my next devotion post on Saturday, January 11, 2014)