Kneeling More

Monday - February 21st

Scripture to Read Today: Ephesians 3:14-21

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For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

Ephesians 3:14-15

Right now, at our house, we are adding a few hundred square feet to provide my in-laws with a granny flat. They have stayed with us for the last few winters to escape the cold and snow back east. As they age, Lesli and I want them to be with us so we can have them here to help with their care and we can enjoy time with them. The "granny flat" we are preparing will provide them with a bedroom, sitting room, and private bath designed for them as they age.

We are at the flooring stage of the remodel/construction. The guys who lay flooring for a living know how to maneuver on their knees. They have the right equipment (serious kneepads), know how to stretch long distances to work, and scoot along the floor easily. They look so natural on their knees!

When I recognized how natural and comfortable they were on their knees, I thought of how natural and comfortable we should be as Christians on our knees. If we were the prayer warriors God calls us to be, we would spend time kneeling before God for our needs and the needs of others.

The Apostle Paul prayed for other believers and local churches. In his first-century letter to the church at Ephesus, he told them how he prayed for them in two clear passages. First, in Ephesians 1:15-23, Paul prayed that the Christians in Ephesus would know God more deeply, know the hope He offered more clearly, and understand the power he offered them more practically. Then, after talking about who they were because of their salvation in Christ, Paul again tells them in Ephesians 3:14-21 that He prays for them.

I love how the Apostle introduced this second section of prayer in Ephesians. Paul says in verse 14 that because of the access the Gospel gives us to God, he kneels in prayer for the Ephesian believers. He says He kneels before the Father of all people - our creator and redeemer.

Paul understood that the great confidence and freedom to approach God we have as Christ-followers (Ephesians 3:12) prompts humility in us. We bow down on our knees as we make requests of our Heavenly Father.

How often do you kneel down when you pray? Maybe you cannot physically do that and get up again. Instead, you can lean forward and bow before God while resting on a table. The act of kneeling before God as we pray outwardly indicates the posture of our heart, mind, and spirit. We acknowledge that He is God, and we are not.

Most of us need to kneel in prayer more. So each day this week, kneel down as you pray. You don't need the kneeling prowess of a master floor layer. You just need to get on your knees and pray!

All of us could pray more for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Most of us could kneel more as we do!