Changing Our Posture
In Ephesians 3:14 (ESV), Paul described a posture shift for prayer, saying, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father.” Ephesians is full of truth and insight, but for today, we are going to focus on the simple fact that part of a healthy prayer life is shifting our posture.
In this case, Paul demonstrates a willingness to come before the Father in humility and bow down before him. Paul understood that God was holy, powerful, and worthy of this kind of honor. Something shifts in our heart, spirit, and mind when we move our physical being into different postures.
Often we wait for the moment to inspire us to shift our posture. Maybe we are waiting for the right words, the perfect part of the song, or the ideal environment to engage our physical bodies. For many believers, expression comes after experiences. But the most dedicated and powerful worshippers and intercessors I know move into postures of devotion sometimes well before prayer or worship starts.
I always ask people which is easier to do. Is it easier to engage my spirit in worship or lift my hands in the air? Of course, lifting my hands in the air is easier. All I have to do is move my hands up! My brain tells the muscles in my arms to move, and they move.
What I have found, however, is that the posture of hands lifted high helps my spirit, heart, and mind catch up to the reality that we are going to worship.
I am not saying you have to lift your hands to worship. I have had moments of pure worship sitting in a seat with my eyes closed, blessing his name in my heart. Even then, my physical posture was aligning my spirit. My eyes closed. My body still. I was focusing on putting all my attention on Jesus.
The truth is that physical postures of prayer and worship are incredibly powerful. Sometimes our inner world cannot figure out what it wants to do, but our physical positioning can bring clarity and energy toward the task of prayer and worship.
Today I want to challenge you to move into a new posture. It could be as simple as closing your eyes, putting your hand on your heart, or kneeling at a chair. See what happens as you let your posture lead your spirit into prayer.
