Ok, hear me out on this one. You know how in all the old books and movies, at the end of the day the main character would diligently kneel down next to the bed and say his or her prayers? Not just the fictional ones either...it was a common practice even in the earliest days of the bible:
Daniel 6:10 Three times a day [Daniel] got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
Psalm 95:6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker
Acts 9:40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.
Ephesians 3:14 [A Prayer for the Ephesians ] For this reason I kneel before the Father,
So obviously, kneeling was just something that you did if you were going to pray. Now I don't know about you, but I never kneel when I pray. I don't even think about it. But the other night, I did think about it. I was sitting in my bed praying silently as usual, trying to concentrate on God while my mind kept wandering just as it normally does when I try to devote myself to prayer. In exasperation, I decided to try praying the old fashioned way--out loud, kneeling on the floor next to my bed. It felt a little funny ("I hope no one walks into my room right now..."), but you know what? I was able to really concentrate on what I was praying for and think of more things that I wanted to pray for than I ever have been able to while lying on my bed.
Now why would kneeling help you to pray?
I don't have an expert opinion, but I have an idea. When I got off my bed, and took the time to say my prayers out loud, suddenly my mind-block was gone. You're taking yourself out of a distracting situation (ever fallen asleep praying? I thought so) and fully formulating your thoughts (speech takes more effort than thinking, so you'll concentrate harder on it). And the likely result is longer, more intense prayer.
Oh and I just thought of this as I was writing my post: kneeling has always been a position of humility and respect. When I was looking up the scriptures above with the keyword "kneeling", most of the references were to people kneeling to those in authority, either in thanks or petition. So when we consciously put ourselves in a position of humility and submission before God, God rewards the behavior.
But don't just let me tell you. These are just ideas of mine...you all could prove if they are actually true. I'd love it if you'd try kneeling down for prayer one of these nights and see if it makes a difference. Let me know how it goes... it can't hurt, but it just might help.
1 comment:
Allie, I actually was thinking along the same lines last night. I was in my room getting ready for bead and had worship music playing in the background. I was mindlessly singing, and then I realized that I could focus on the words instead of just singing them while I was doing random things. I found it hard to focus and decided to kneel beside my bed. (I know that sounds like a really rare coincidence, but it's true.) I had the very same thought. "What if my mom comes in here... that will be humbling!"
As I got up from kneeling beside my bed, singing the worship song to God, "surrendering all to him" (that was the song I was singing) I felt like the Lord was right there beside me telling me that he is going to help me through my days, through my weeks, through this year.
I have often knelt in singing or in prayer and it really helps me see where I stand before God. Basically, I shouldn't be standing before God. I should be on my face in adoration.
Anyways, I've talked a lot but I agree with what you were saying and I found it so helpful to, at the end of the day, surrender my day to the Lord that way.
So, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'm excited to read more of them as long as school isn't to busy!
I love you girl...
~Joanna
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