Read Psalm 72

“Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him.” (Psalm 72:11)

What a hope and a future that we have in Christ, the true King of kings of which this Psalm speaks of! Even more — this psalm may be the only one in the Bible explicitly written by King Solomon (though Psalm 127 may be ascribed to him as well). In any case, we find the wisest of all kings paying homage to the one and only future King. Solomon’s reign brought lasting peace over Israel for 40 years, but the future King, Jesus Christ, will bring lasting peace over the earth for 1,000 years and forevermore!

“His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed.” (Psalm 72:17)

From this verse of future hope and glory under the kingship of Christ, we may reverently respond in at least two ways today.

First, if all the kings shall fall down before Christ in the age of glory, how much more shall we as citizens of heaven bow down before Him this very day? Our citizenship is forged in the Kingdom of God and our allegiance is to Christ the King who sits His heavenly throne (see Philippians 3:20; Revelation 12:5). Too often we think of bowing to Christ figuratively, when the Scriptures speak of it actually.

Three times per day the prophet Daniel bowed his knees and prayed toward Jerusalem to the King of Heaven, even at the risk of being torn to pieces by lions (see Daniel 6:10). Paul the Apostle, while in prison, openly bowed his knees to the Father in front of other prisoners as he prayed for the Ephesian church (see Ephesians 3:14). There are, of course, countless other examples in the Scriptures.

Now, if Daniel bowed at the risk of his life and the imprisoned apostle bowed even in the darkest dungeon, can we not bow our knees to the King of kings in the comfort of our homes? If Christ be our King, then by all means, let us make it our practice to bow down! — not figuratively in our hearts, but actually and physically. This simple act of worship is a powerful reminder of Who we live for.

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.” (Psalm 95:6)

Secondly, if all nations shall serve Him in the future, shall we as His church not take the earliest opportunity to invest our efforts in serving Christ today? Our Lord has not only called us to be servants after His own example (see Philippians 2:5-7), but in sheer gratitude alone, we ought to dedicate our lives to serving Christ because of the great salvation He has given us.

Is it any wonder that nearly every apostle in the New Testament introduces themselves as bondservants of the Lord Jesus Christ? Even Jude, the very brother of the Lord from a human perspective, deems himself as Christ’s servant (see Jude 1). Servanthood is the nucleus of Christianity, not because of a set of principles we follow, but because of the Person we adore — Jesus. Every principle of servanthood is because of the Person who first served us.

Dear friend — do you take joy in serving our King Jesus? If not, perhaps you have forgotten just how majestic and good He is, and have lost sight of the Author and Finisher of your faith. If you will but remember His glory — the very same glory He intends to share with you (see Colossians 3:4) — it will blossom into such an immense adoration for Christ that you will not be able to stop ministering with joy.

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23–24)

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