Bow the Knee Before Him

Ephesians 3:14 — "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,"

Notice Paul's posture in this prayer. Paul is actually in prison when he writes this. He may not have been physically able to kneel. Yet he says that he is going to pray by getting on his knees. It's as if he is making a statement of humility and submission with this posture.

There have been definite times in my life when I have bowed my knee in prayer. Those moments were always intense, when I have been overcome with powerful emotions. It wasn't something I did out of habit or routine. Instead, I found myself overwhelmed by the weight of my feelings. Perhaps you have felt overwhelming loss, leaving you devastated or burdened. Perhaps you have felt exhilarated and joyful, which caused you to lose the ability to stand. I just connect powerful emotions with this posture of prayer.

Sometimes, because we see phrases like this in the Bible, we get the mistaken idea that the only way to pray is on our knees. That is not what you find in the Bible. The Jews prayed standing up (Mark 11:25). The tax collector who cried out for mercy was beating his breast, his head was bowed, but he was standing (Luke 18:13). And Jesus said that man went away forgiven (Luke 18:14). You find Abraham standing and talking to God (Genesis 18:22). You find Solomon standing (1 Kings 8:22) and also kneeling (1 Kings 8:54; 2 Chronicles 6:13). There is no required physical posture. Some walk and pray. Some sit and pray. Some drive and pray.

The posture of the body is not the point. It is the posture of the heart that matters. And yet there is something significant in what Paul is saying. He is approaching the living God, and he says, "I bow my knee." There is humble reverence. There is a holy weightiness. He is not approaching God casually, the way we sometimes do when prayer is just a spiritual formality we check off before a meal.

Adrian Rogers described the moment he was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was a senior in high school out on the football field by himself. He was seeking God and prayed, "God, I want You to use me." That did not seem good enough. So he got on his knees and said it again. That still did not seem enough. So he laid prostrate and said it again. That still was not enough. So he dug out a little hole in the ground, stuck his nose down into it, and said, "God, I am as low as I can go. I want You to use me." And he believed that was the moment the Holy Spirit filled his life.

Here is the question for each of us. Has there ever been a moment in your relationship with God where you have humbled yourself completely? Where you have gotten alone, where no one is watching, and you have simply bowed before God? God says that He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).

Reflection Question: Has there ever been a moment where you got alone with God, where no one was watching, and humbled yourself completely before Him?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I bow my heart before You. You are the God of the universe, and I come to You with reverence. Forgive me for the times prayer has become a formality. I humble myself and acknowledge that I need You. Thank You for filling me with Your Holy Spirit. I want You to use me. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from "More Love, More Power": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/98862zy/12-more-love-more-power-eph-3-14-21