so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. —Philippians 2:10-11
One day, cancer will bow. One day, pain and sorrow and hurt will eat dust. One day, racism and prejudice will fall on their faces in abject surrender. One day, atheists will believe and demons will shudder, forced to face the One they have hated and denied. One day, there will be no uncertainty, no ambiguity, no shades of gray. One day, oh one day, every knee will bow, every stiff neck will bend, every rebellious heart, every arrogant spirit, every proud thought will kneel before the King. There will be no debate, nor argument, no objection. One day, there will only be assent, recognition, and humility. One day. One day.
One day the cry of the heart will not be “Me! Me! Me!” It will be “Him! Him! Him!” One day every fist raised in fight will sink to its side as open palms rise in deference. One day every tongue, every voice, every capacity to communicate will have but one message: “He is Lord! He is Lord! He is Lord!” “Glory!” will be the anthem. “Glory!” will be song. Every exhalation will be exaltation. One day. Oh, one day.
“How can such a thing be,” you ask? Because of one day. One day the infinite, eternal Son of God, the Word who was in the beginning with God, who was God, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, made himself nothing; he took on the form of a servant. One day, the Creator of man took on the form of man, being born in the likeness of men. One day, being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient. One day, the Son, the Word, the eternal joy of the Father, the Beloved and Begotten went to the cross, and he died.
One day, the plan of God to express the fullness of His glory to the created sphere through sacrificial, redemptive love was realized in the death of Christ on the cross. On that day, God exalted him. On that day, God bestowed on His Son, the name that is above all names. The praiseworthy name. The trustworthy name. The sacrifice-worthy name. The honor-worthy name. The glory-worthy name. The bowing the knee and proclaiming out loud worthy name.
One day became that day and will become one day again. But in between that day and one day is today. Right now. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess because there will be no other choice. No will of man or angel or beast shall rise against the will of God, one day. Today, however, we have a choice. Today we may bow and confess because we get to, not because we have to. Today we may join the Father in the exaltation of the Son! Today, we are free to bow and submit and honor and glory. We do not have to wait for one day. Today can be that day, if we will but bow the heart, submit the spirit, surrender the mind to the all encompassing, discipline the body to the living truth that Jesus Christ is Lord!
For Reflection
Philippians overflows with joy and thanksgiving. Look carefully at the entire passage where Philippians 2:10-11 is located. Can you find seven or more reasons in these verses where something Jesus is or does would cause glory to be given to God?
Think carefully about the name of Jesus at which the entire creation will bow and confess. Names, especially the names of famous people, cause us to think certain things about the people they identify. What does the name of Jesus bring to mind that would make Him worthy of praise?
One day, because of who God is, because of who Christ is, the entire created world will proclaim God’s glory. What one thing can you do today to proclaim God’s glory to the world?