God warns us not to worship, bow down, or kneel in reverence to other gods or false idols. It will be okay to ‘lose it’ and fall down on our knees in joy and honor of the One who brought us through. His revelation that the entirety of all creation will be bowing down means that there won’t be any need for our false props of self-righteous earning, or performing our way into his gift of grace and eternal life. This idea of kneeling or bowing down is carried through God’s love story because when promises this awesome prove true, it can knock our feet out from under us-in the best possible way. And in fact, the biblical word for worship means to bow down. It promises us a time when all will worship the one true God and not other false gods. This “word that will not be revoked” is again confirmed in Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10, and in Revelation 5:13-14. “By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow.” ( Isaiah 45:23). Toward the end of this chapter, God says: There’s no exclusive prayer-position commanded. 5:17) to stay connected with God’s power. We’re invited to pray continually ( 1 Thes. “Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him” ( Mark 14:35). In Psalm 4:4 and Psalm 63:6, people pray while lying in bed.Īnd in a compelling example of going prostrate to pray, Jesus falls face down before the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane: Even Job was standing while crying in prayer ( Job 30:20). Hannah prayed standing in 1 Samuel 1:26 and the Lord answered her. The Bible shows us that people pray face down ( Ezekiel 9:8), standing ( 2 Chronicles 20:5-13), bowing down in bed ( 1 Kings 1:47), or in any number of positions. Photo credit: Unsplash/Naassom Azevedo Do We Have to Kneel to Pray? God won’t turn away if you don’t kneel, but we have the freedom and the confidence to approach him this way. It’s one way to show that when you speak with God you are in the presence of incomparable, immeasurable divinity. It’s a blown-away, knocked-off-my-feet action. This is just before Paul’s famous exposé on being so rooted and established that you actually grasp the width, length, height, and depth of Christ’s love. Then Paul continues: “For this reason I kneel before the Father” ( Ephesians 3:14). Kneeling before God honors what Paul describes in Ephesians 3:12, “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” It demonstrates need, and a choice to be halted and healed. Not only does kneeling to pray elicit a physical sense of humbling, it also communicates a reverence for the One to whom we pray. It can serve a façade rather than help us seek God. But the confession when we’re willing to kneel in prayer is, “you alone, God, are able.”Īlways standing tall, if we’re thinking it’s all about looking strong, surrenders us captive to our brokenness. And yes, feeling broken will often drive us to our knees in prayer. In a way, it releases our limited strength into a more receptive pose, one that seeks to stand on God’s strength, not our own.Ĭooney suggests that if we stand on our own merit, we succumb to a brokenness of spirit. It takes effort and requires a surrendering of our selves. Why Do We Kneel in Prayer?Īuthor Brooke Cooney suggests that kneeling in prayer is an act of humility, reflecting obedience to what is best for us. I won’t make a case for kneeling as a prerequisite for redemption, but let’s explore why it’s wonderful, whether it’s required, and interesting places kneeling is mentioned in the Bible. That said, kneeling is still a beautiful choice, as it can stir us toward his presence.
I come to this topic with the belief that God doesn’t even require knees to be in relationship with us. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” ( Luke 19:10). He’s finding those who might not be “doing it right” but are precious in his sight, anyway. He’s looking for us to long for his love and grace. I wanted to dig into the question, “why do we kneel in prayer?” because I don’t know.Īnd most of all, I want to encourage readers that Jesus didn’t come exclusively for the upper echelon who knew all the steps and rules.