Posture in Prayer
In Exodus 20:3-5 we read, 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth:
20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me; "
God in His wisdom knows that bowing down is a sign of worship only given to the creator. It is a sign of reverence when you come to the one you serve.
George Mueller, a great man of faith who founded orphanages and cared for children, prayed with his Bible open. He read his Bible through 200 times in his life and 100 times on his knees.
We can pray any time and anywhere as we do our daily duties, walking or playing; but when we come into the presence of God for worship, to bow down in prayer is honoring Him. As human, we are less than nothing.
The confusion to some, comes because of Mark 11:24-26 which says, " 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them].
11:25 And when ye STAND PRAYING, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."
Does the above verse mean "When you stand praying forgive and when you kneel praying do not forgive?" Of course not. Please read the verse again. Is Jesus talking of S-t-a-n-d-i-n-g when we pray, or STAND P-r-a-y-i-n-g?
Did you notice the first part of the verse said, "what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, AND-YE-SHALL-HAVE-THEM" Many people pray standing, and believing they will receive but still do not receive, why?
Jesus was not talking about STANDING WHILE PRAYING, He was talking about S-T-A-N-D PRAYING. I know you have not understood yet. To stand praying, means, "To STAND IT" that is perservere in prayer after, what you asked for is not given to you.
I have put the Greek meaning to the word S-T-A-N-D taken from this verse, so that you pick what you think is the correct meaning of the verse. This is taken from the STRONGS CONCORDANCE.
4739 steko {stay'-ko}
from the perfect tense of 2476; TDNT - 7:636,1082; v
AV - stand fast 6, stand 2; 8
(1) to stand firm (2) to persevere, to persist (3) to keep one's standing
This was a parable which Jesus was speaking to his disciples. Parables are not to be taken literally.They have a meaning intended by the speaker. Jesus gave many parables, like the parable of, THE SHEEP and THE GOATS. As we all know, he was referring to the Saved and the lost, not to beasts.
The book of 1 kings 8:22,23 reads, "8:22 And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:
8:23 And he said, LORD God of Israel, [there is] no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:"
If you read this verse and stop there you will believe that Solomon stood as he was praying to God at the alter. Let us continue reading this chapter and get to verse 54.
It reads as follows, " 8:54 And it was [so], that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven."
The Bible does not support the idea of praying while we are standing, it is a sign of irreverence to the Lord. Read the following verses.
Psalms 22:27-31 reads, " 22:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
22:28 For the kingdom [is] the LORD'S: and he [is] the governor among the nations.
22:29 All [they that be] fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
22:30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
22:31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done [this]."
Romans 14:11,12 Reads, "14:11 For it is written, [As] I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
Phillipians 2:10-12 reads, " 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth;
2:11 And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."
God loves those who fear Him. When you kneel for God, it is not a "Holier than thou attitude" On the contrary it is because you are human and less than nothing.
Did you know that the Devil is Offended when one kneels for every prayer to God during worship? If it were possible the Devil would carry you out of the temple. He thinks you are a "Bad example to the congregation"
If it was not important why did the Devil tempt Jesus by asking him to kneel before him? What ever the Devil is jealous of, give it to Jesus. Dont stand before your creator, you make the Devil happy.
The Devil wants the honor only reserved for your creator. He makes you feel guilty when kneeling on all prayers to the Lord. He asks you this question "Why do want to be holier than others?"
Your holiness is not incomparison with other human beings. You are compared with Christ who is your standard for righteousness. You are a sinner saved by grace. No one should make you feel guilty. The Devil lost heaven forever, he will never go back, what better advice can he give you?
May God bless you as you follow Him. Romans 14:12 said, we shall all give account of ourselves to God.
God is the ruler of the Universe. As we read in Isaiah 40:20-20 says, " 40:17 All nations before him [are] as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.
40:18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
40:21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
40:22 [It is] he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof [are] as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
40:25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
40:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these [things], that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that [he is] strong in power; not one faileth.
40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, [that] the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? [there is] no searching of his understanding."
There is a big difference between the two.
Jesus was addressing a problem of unanswered prayer when believing that you will get what you asked for. He then said "Forgive, if ye have ought against any:that you father also which is in heaven may forgive you your tresspasses. There is no way God could answer our prayers when we do not forgive. It does not matter how persistant we are in our prayers. Don't we sometimes say, " I can not STAND so and so?" In other words , we do not want to have anything to do with that person.
Luke 18:9-14 reads as follows, " 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men [are], extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
18:13 And the publican, STANDING AFAR OFF, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
That is why it was one of the temptation he gave to Christ in the wilderness. In Matthew 4:9-11 we read, " 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
4:11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him."
© 2004 Fountain Of Life Seminars.