2 Chronicles 7:3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
After the temple was finished and dedicated and prayers offered, fire came down from heaven and glory filled the temple. The people saw this glorious presence of God on the earth, and their response was to bow down in worship and to praise the Lord with the Psalm verse, “God is good and merciful.”
The experience of God in all His glory naturally brings forth the response of humble worship and praise. What else can one do but bow down when seeing the glory of God? Seeing the manifestation of God drives one to his knees. The same thing happens before the throne in heaven, as shown to John in Revelation.
We experience the same thing when we stand, or kneel, before the cross, and the empty tomb. In the cross we see the glory of God. Glory shows forth the inner character of someone, and with God it looks like love, unconditional, unlimited love. The cross is a shameful sight but it hides the beautiful and glorious sacrificial love of God. The eyes of faith see it, and the believing heart receives the Glory. When we believe it we fall on our face.
This actually happens in the spiritual world, although physical eyes don’t see the glory of God in the proclaimed Gospel, in the words of Absolution, in Baptism, and in the Lord’s Supper. But faith sees, and the spirit is overcome with Love, whether the body feels it or not, and inwardly we bow down and worship. “In the cross of Christ I glory.”