Is there a right posture for prayer?

From my teenage years, I developed a habit or prayer-style for my personal prayer life, of praying on my knees. Anything that happened to me during the day which I wanted to bring before the Lord in prayer was “tagged” for that prayer time.

What that meant, of course, was if something happened early in the day, I carried for six hours the burden of it until I could get into that prayer posture on my return from school.

Over time, I developed some flexibility in my prayer muscle. In our relationship, we began the practice of prayerwalking on Sunday afternoons after we married when we would chat with the Lord together working through the various concerns we were carrying at the time.

If a crisis event occurred at work, I had learned the value of excusing myself for five minutes “bathroom time,” where I could regain my emotional and spiritual balance with the Lord.
These were still like “fill in” strategies for my preferred prayer posture – on my knees before God.

A new song

One day, while meditating on Paul’s exhortation to “pray without ceasing”, 1 Thesselonians 5:17, I came to a fuller appreciation of what God had for me. A changepoint which I might say has almost become the key to my life. Integration!

To adopt a running conversation with the Lord. To constantly be in an attitude of prayer. To integrate the whole of my life – the good, the bad and the ugly. To bring an unrighteous thought before Him as it happens, not sit on it till an opportune time when I can fall on my knees. Then there are the celebrative moments, like the little boy shouting “Look Lord,” so naturally as he shot his first goal.

In the Old Testament, it was a search for the burning bush, but now the burning bush is inside. The Paraclete, the One Who comes alongside to support us, is always present with us. Looking at life this way, one’s life then becomes more a case of uninterrupted conversation with my Heavenly Father. Of course, I still have to “do life.” But when I am not conversing with others, working on a file, being with family, I am immediately on His wavelength. It is natural to pick up our conversation again where we left off, or talk with Him in an easy way about the joys or tribulations of the last half-hour.

Praise God I discovered a long time ago the joy of the prayer attitude, the running conversation with my Heavenly Father.

In the past, prayer was an unnatural event that broke into my day, that had prescribed time and position. Now, it is more like the air that I breathe, the natural flow of my day. Don’t get me wrong, I still have times on my knees of intercession and adoration that I wouldn’t give up for anything. They are a significant part of who I am – but praise God I discovered a long time ago the joy of the prayer attitude, the running conversation with my Heavenly Father.

Jesus tore the veil in two when He died. There’s no restriction on when or where. We have 24 hour access anywhere we stand on the planet through the blood of Jesus. Grace abounds. Come boldly, Hebrews 10:19. Always remember if God and you are together, there’s enough people for a prayer meeting – and that can happen anywhere!