“’When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father.” (Ephesians 3:14)
In the world of professional golf, many golfers work with coaches who help them with their posture, hoping that even the slightest alterations will help them improve their game. If this is done in the world of golf, we can do the same as we study the Word of God to learn about different postures that might improve or intensify our prayer life. We’ll explore just a few of those postures below:
Bowing is a physical expression of honor and allegiance. In Psalms, we read “Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for He is our God.” (Psalm 95:6) Kneeling is a posture which shows respect and honor. Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple was given while he “knelt down in front of the entire congregation of Israel.” (2 Chronicles 6:13) The Apostle Paul writes “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’” (Romans 14:11) Lying Prostrate is appropriate when bowing our heads or kneeling doesn’t quite reflect the devotion we intend to convey. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus “bowed with His face to the ground, praying ‘My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not mine.” (Matthew 26:39)
Lifting hands in prayer is demonstrated throughout the Bible. The Apostle Paul writes, “In every place of worship, I want me to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.” (1 Timothy 2:8) Silence is often appropriate in prayer when we simply do not have the words to say. In Psalms, the Lord says “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) However, sometimes crying out loudly to the Lord is more appropriate. King David, a deep man of prayer, writes, “Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice.” (Psalm 55:17)
We need to utilize the postures of prayer that help us focus on the fact that we are coming into the presence of the Lord. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, is a satire about an experienced demon, Screwtape, who is mentoring a young demon about how to deceive Christians. In the story, Screwtape says that we should never deny Christians their time of prayer. Instead, he says, “Tell them it is not necessary to get down on their knees… They can pray just as well in bed on their back. First thing you know they will have closed their eyes and gone to sleep and forgotten to pray.” If Satan can keep us off of our knees or from a meaningful posture of prayer, he will greatly weaken our prayer lives.
Followup Activity - Today, in your prayer time, experiment with the different postures of prayer shared above. You might even find other postures that better assist you in focusing on the Lord. If you’re leading your family through this devotion, guide each member through the exercise above.
Prayer for Today - Lord, help me to find the best posture(s) for my prayers so I might better enhance my time with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.