Maneuvers - No. 41
I Stoop Low
for You
This world of ours teaches us to claw our way to the top, to grasp for any comfort or success or acclaim we can get. Because if we don’t show everyone how wonderful we are, who will?
But being humble? Bending low? Those are foreign concepts to the world. They simply don’t make sense.
And yet that’s what Jesus did. He bent low. He humbled himself. He wasn’t weak or insecure, but he still took the lowest spot possible so that he could love and serve and give.
He calls us to do the same.
It doesn’t make sense to the world to live and love humbly like Jesus. And bending low is rarely easy, isn’t it? It goes against everything our flesh wants to do.
But would it make sense to us if we rested in his presence? Would we see the breathtaking beauty of bending low if we quieted our hearts long enough to hear his heartbeat? In that low place, perhaps we could discover a deep closeness with Jesus—the kind of closeness we were made for.
It’s worth the temporary discomfort to reach that place where our hearts are soft enough to hear his voice, to feel Holy Spirit’s gentle nudges guiding us into his will and immeasurable love.
The only question is: Will we grasp for self-importance or will we bend low with Jesus, low enough to realize that he’s all we need?
If we don’t know where to start, that’s okay. Holy Spirit is willing to teach us. And today, he’s inviting us to take that first step with him.
01.
The Message
“Can I pull you into the quiet for a moment? I have something I want you to see.
“Deeper now. A full breath. Another. Let’s pause.
“Open your hands. Listen deep within you. Your mind, your imagination … let me direct what you are thinking … help you give attention to what you are feeling now.
“Another deep breath. Slow and steady. Don’t see with your eyes now. See from within you. Let your gaze be one of the heart.
“Do you see him? There? On his knees, hands in the dirt? He draws with his finger in the dirt, his head bent, his eyes low. He is low.
“Will you bend with him now? So close you can hear his breathing? His fingers scratching the earth? What is he drawing? What is he thinking? Does it matter?
“Here … you are here now, with the King, my Son. And as you bend low with him, he will teach you many things; you will watch him do many things and do them with him—when you bend low.
“In what ways are you not bending low now, child? Do you know? Are you aware of the ways in which you push against me, against all that is possible, against love?
“Bending low aligns your heart with his. Bending low keeps you close to me—not that I want you to be insecure or voiceless or weak or without weight. But when you bend low, you have aligned your heart with mine, with the heart of my Son, who abandoned his own strength, rejected the world’s power, dismissed fame and comfort and security. He was—and is—one with me.
“Listen, do you want to be one with me? Do you want to learn how to abide and gain the strength of peace, the hope of love, the joy of being with me?
“Will you slow with him for a moment? Will you draw in and stay so you can hear your own heart beating—mine in his and his in yours? Will you see what happens when you bend low now?”
02.
Listen
Were you able to imagine yourself bending low with Jesus as you read Holy Spirit’s words? What did you feel in that place? Let’s take a few minutes to respond to the Lord in prayer.
03.
Think
“Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes arrogant ... I have certainly soothed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child resting against his mother” (Psalm 131:1-2, NASB).
1. Where do you find it difficult to slow down with Jesus and bend low with him? In what ways are you pushing against Holy Spirit?
2. What fears are making it difficult to bend low? Can you pinpoint any lies that may be blocking you? Let’s write these down.
3. Pause over each of the fears and lies you wrote. What is Holy Spirit saying to you about each one? What Scriptures is he bringing to mind to refute those lies? What truths is he speaking to your heart to relieve those fears? Let’s write down what he shows us.
04.
Trust
Let’s think back to that image of Jesus crouching to the ground, drawing in the dirt. Standing in front of him was a woman caught in adultery. And although the rest of the crowd was ready to stone her, Jesus bent low to offer her grace.
We find this account in John 8:1-11. Scripture doesn’t tell us what Jesus wrote in the dirt, but we do know that the only time he stopped writing and stood back up was to tell the scribes and Pharisees, “Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” (John 8:7b, NLT). Then he stooped down again and kept writing.
Can you imagine hearing Jesus say that to the Pharisees? What does his voice sound like as he defends this woman? Is it strong? Firm? Protective?
In Matthew 11:29, Jesus invites us to come to him because he is “gentle and humble in heart” (NASB).
Isn’t it interesting that the word “humble” in this passage also means lowly, whether in position or in spirit? It can also mean “not rising far from the ground.”
So when Jesus calls himself humble, we get an image of him stooping low to the ground, without any arrogance or pretense, to lift someone else up. To lift us up.
And yet he’s stooping low with strength, his firm voice rebuking the lies and fears that hurt us and block our closeness with him.
Let’s return to this week’s message:
“Bending low aligns your heart with his. Bending low keeps you close to me—not that I want you to be insecure or voiceless or weak or without weight. But when you bend low, you have aligned your heart with mine, with the heart of my Son, who abandoned his own strength, rejected the world’s power, dismissed fame and comfort and security. He was—and is—one with me.”
For this week’s exercise, we encourage you to re-read this week’s entire message, breathing when Holy Spirit says and imagining as he leads.
And now, let’s pray…
05.
Pray
Thank you, Lord, for bending low to pick me up. And thank you for standing strong to defend me, even when I don’t deserve it. You are so good to me.
Where it’s hard to bend low with you, where my flesh resists you, help me surrender. Help me let go of the world’s way of thinking and let you replace it with your heavenly thoughts and attitudes. Fill me with your love and light.
I love you, Father. I love you, Jesus. I love you, Holy Spirit. I worship you for all your goodness.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Waving the banner with you,
