Spiritual Posture of Prayer
As believers, we are called to pray constantly and in all situations (1 Thessalonians 5:17). God has invited us to talk and spend time with him at any moment. As we approach the throne in prayer, our mindset and heart attitude matters. We can lean into Paul's words in Ephesians 3:14-21 to understand what it looks like to have a healthy spiritual posture of prayer.
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Now, let's break it down.
- For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
Humility & Submission – C.S. Lewis once said “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” The act of bowing down is humbling. It is a physical representation of submission and shows one’s acceptance of serving someone one greater than yourself. As you pray, allow your hearts to bow before our Lord. As you build a healthy posture of prayer, ponder what it might look like for you to think of yourself less and submit to the great God we serve.
- from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
Reverence & Honor – When we pray, we get to have an intimate conversation with the Maker of all things in heaven and earth. Reverence means to have deep respect for God. As you build a healthy posture of prayer, ponder what it might look like for you to grow your reverence and awe for the Lord.
- so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Relationship Building– The only way to truly know anyone on a deeper level is spending time with them. The same is true with God. The difference between God and a human relationship is God can know every sinful nook and ugly cranny of your heart and mind, yet still have a love for you that surpasses all understanding. When we pray with a desire to deepen our relationship with God, we open our heart and mind to dwell with him. As a result, fruits of the spirit are produced in our lives. While you build a healthy posture of prayer, ponder what it might look like for you to approach prayer as an opportunity to dwell with God and accept his great love for you.
- Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Expectation & Praise– When we pray to God, there is no doubt that he is able to work miracles and that he gives good gifts (Matthew 7:11). When we pray we can speak with confidence in him, because we know we serve a good father whose power is beyond our understanding. A confident heart in Christ, allows us to give him glory whether our prayers are answered in the way that we had hoped for or not. We can be expectant that God is working at all times and in all things.
As you build a healthy posture of prayer, ponder what it might look like for you to speak in confidence that God is able to answer your prayers; while being able to say “but if not, I will still praise you.”