Posture of Prayer: Calloused Knees

This is the first post in a series entitled, Spiritual Postures. As a quick recap each month I will clearly state the goal of this series in a hope that this wouldn’t inspire you but rather activate you.

My goal in spending the next year writing about spiritual postures is to not learn more or gain more content but to physically and tangibly explore them. My hope is that as we explore postures like prayer, our prayers would look more like Jesus and in turn our lives would look more like His.

Let’s do this!

What is Prayer?

Prayer is communion with God.

Simple right?!? Sure prayer is misunderstood, misused, or completely neglected. We want prayer to be a one-sided demand bank (think genie bottle). We want to bring our petitions before God Almighty and instantly see results. Whether it is healing, restoration or blessing, we want prayer when we need prayer.

This is not communion with God. This is something different. At the center is not God…at the center is us. If our sole reason to come to God is to get something from Him we will not truly be with Him.

Our posture in prayer is to be with God. This is humbling. The bended knee is proof that we cannot do this thing on our own. And so we fall…sometimes to our knees…sometimes to our faces.

Of all the other postures, prayer is central. Prayer is the catapult that launches the spiritual life. All other means of grace build on the foundation of our prayer life.

Prayer is communication with God.

Here is what I didn’t say…”prayer is talking to God.” This is to imply that prayer is one sided and this couldn’t be further from the truth. Prayer is rhythmic…speaking, listening, pleading, celebrating, resting. Jonathan Edwards says, “prayer is the voice of faith.”

Our hope in prayer is to be with God and to hear from God. When this is our goal it shapes the way we pray. Instead of prayers like this, “God bless me,” we begin to pray like this, “God help me to see you more clearly.”

How to Pray

To use Dallas Willard’s categories, prayer is a discipline (posture) of engagement. This is to say that prayer requires an active participation from you. It is an interaction between God and His people.

Prayer is learned. The disciples witnessed the prayer life of Jesus and asked Him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). So regardless of where your prayer-life stands today, by the power of the Holy Spirit, there is room for growth. Take heart!

Jesus responds by saying, “When you pray, say…”

Our Father who art in heaven,hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom,and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

This prayer is not meant to limit your prayer but to guide it. The point Jesus is making is not that you pray, but when you pray. His assumption is that as His followers you would desire intimacy and interaction with Him.

Prayer requires an awareness of self, an awareness of others, and an awareness of God. I love how Richard Foster describes a passionate prayer life, “White hot love for God is necessarily tied to a concern for the broken and bleeding of humanity. A genuine prayer life powerfully connects us with the suffering and pain and injustice of our fallen world.”

Types of Prayer

Set Prayer

Set prayers are specific times set aside each day for prayer. We are a people governed by our calendars. By scheduling or cordoning off certain times of the day we guarantee reminders to pray. I believe having specific times set aside each day encourages a robust commitment to prayer. Some of the best prayer books utilize set times of the day for prayer.

Common Prayer

This was the most unfamiliar to me when I began exploring prayer as a spiritual posture as a seminary student. Common prayers call us to something bigger than ourselves. Whether it is praying the Psalms or picking up a prayer book, this type of prayer anchors us into the broader Christian community that spans time and space. If you are new to common prayer I encourage you to start with the Psalter. Once you feel comfortable praying the Psalms check out some of the resources listed below.

Spontaneous Prayer

Spontaneous prayer is the type of prayer we are the most familiar with. This is the type of prayer we pray before a big meeting, a first date, a meal, the birth of a child, or the response to injustice. But spontaneous prayer can also be adoring of God’s character, it can be evangelistic, and it can be confessional.

Rhythms of Prayer

Our lives are best captured by imagining them as a puzzle. We are painting a picture that we may not see clearly because of the effort and attention we give to getting all of the pieces out of the box and organized. We fervently try to get the corners set so we can make sense of the image. The corners of work, family, hobbies, etc. quickly seal out any space for spiritual things.

The goal of spiritual postures is to cement the framework of your life on the things of God. Prayer is the foundation, it is the starting line, it is the corner piece. My prayer is that this will spark an attention and a desire to cultivate a rhythm of prayer.

Resources for Prayer

The great thing about living in a digital age is that there is so much beautiful writing that has been captured and can be easily accessed. The following are some resources that I have used in the past on prayer. I’d love to hear some resources that you’ve found helpful.

Book on Prayer