Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. (Ps. 95:6-7)

A friend of mine used to introduce prayer times by asking us to bow our hearts. It is the appropriate attitude in worship as well as prayer.

In both Hebrew and Greek the common words for worship both have the broader meaning of prostrating oneself in submission to a superior. How could anyone properly worship God while living under the illusion of being comparable to Him? Relative to God we are far removed from Him in capacity for accomplishment and quality of character. The clearest example of His superiority is the fact that He is our Maker (oshenu).

Kneeling, bowing, and falling prostrate before Him are all appropriate positions to take. However, they are not required. What matters is a prostration of heart.

Submission to God does not suggest He is an overbearing despot. The Psalm points out that He is like a shepherd to us. And what a Shepherd! He provides pasture for us and nurtures us as though we are right there in His hand.

God puts a double value on us. He loves us as our Maker and continues to care for us as our Shepherd, guiding us into the very best for our lives. Our humble prostration before Him should be full of gratitude for His goodness.