Our Sunday evening family service had just finished. Attendance was light that evening, so I decided to be brave and ask my question. I walked over to our preacher and asked, “Why do we pray with our heads bowed? Isn’t God in heaven above, not down below? Shouldn’t we be looking to Him as we pray?”
In our church, the typical way to pray was sitting, head bowed and hands in your lap. I’d been in other churches where you kneeled to pray. Neither of those felt appropriate to me in that moment. I wanted to look up and talk to God. I began to wonder is there a right position for prayer?
What is the right position for prayer? Sitting, standing, kneeling? Looking up or head bowed?
What is the right position for prayer? Sitting, standing, kneeling? Looking up or head bowed?How do you pray? Do you bow your head, kneel, stand and look with outstretched arms, lay prostrate on the ground? Or, like me, have you wondered how you should be praying? Maybe questioning as you look around at others praying, wondering why so many different positions for prayer and which is the right one?
Each prayer posture has significance and may have a time and place in your own prayer life. I’ve learned to connect more deeply to God in prayer when I use different body positions, sometimes laying face-down on the floor when I need to fully submit to Him about something or looking up to the cross or to heaven while raising my hands when I’m praising Him with great joy.
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How To Use Your Whole Body in Prayer to Amplify Your Experience
Standing, with arms outstretched, looking to heaven
This is the oldest prayer position. This position acknowledges our faith in God as supreme, eternal, transcendent. It’s a form of praise and worship of our Heavenly Father. Stretching our arms out is a way of asking for God’s blessings and mercy.
You’ll see this form of prayer as the standard in many Eastern churches and Jewish synagogues. It’s also used by priests in many Western churches as they bless the Eucharist for communion. Perhaps the most common place you’ll see this – and may want to use it – is during praise and worship music. Singing is a form of prayer, so maybe you sing your prayer to God while standing with outstretched arms, looking at the cross or up to heaven.
So here’s what you tell them; here’s what I want to see: Men, pray wherever you are. Reach your holy hands to heaven—without rage or conflict—completely open. (1 Timothy 2:8 VOICE)
Kneeling
There are different forms of kneeling prayer positions. You may look downward with hands clasped. Others may look up, with palms lifted up to God.
Traditionally kneeling indicates humility and submission. It is a sign of respect when coming into the presence of a king, especially if you’ve come to make a request of the king. By kneeling, we acknowledge God as our Lord and King, humbling ourselves in His presence.
This is perhaps the most common posture for prayer in the Western church, where many churches have kneelers in the pews. I’ve come to love this one and use it the most to show submission to my Lord and Savior, to humbly make my prayer requests, and to reaffirm my commitment to follow Him.
[Jesus] withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:41-42 NIV)
Laying Prostrate
This is a position for your most desperate, penitent, and fervent prayers. For those times when you just need to throw yourself at the feet of God and lay your whole heart before Him.
Then [Jesus] said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:38-39 NIV)
Sitting, with hands clasped
Interestingly, sitting for prayer is a newer form, introduced in the Middle Ages when churches began installing pews. Even sitting, though, you can use your head and hands to assume a posture of praise and thanksgiving (palms up, head looking up) or one of humility and supplication (hands clasped, head bowed).
Is there a right position for prayer?
There is no “right” position for prayer. I encourage you to try each of these positions for prayer and see how they feel to you. Try them with different types of prayer and see for yourself which prayer position feels most appropriate to you when saying prayers of praise and thanksgiving versus prayers of repentance or intercession.
Three preachers sat discussing the best positions for prayer while a telephone repairman worked nearby. “Kneeling is definitely best,” claimed one. “No,” another contended. “I get the best results standing with my hands outstretched to Heaven.” “You’re both wrong,” the third insisted. “The most effective prayer position is lying prostrate, face down on the floor.” The repairman could contain himself no longer. “Hey, fellas,” he interrupted, “the best prayin’ I ever did was hangin’ upside down from a telephone pole.”
PRAY DEEP CHALLENGE: Pray in each of these positions and see for yourself how each feels in your prayers. Journal about your experience.
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Candace says
I like to pray in different positions. I feel like it helps me connect more instead of habitually doing it the same way. Getting down on my knees is usually saved for my most broken times of need, although I wish I used this one more. In church, I bow my head while sitting. At home, I usually sit with my palms and head looking up. I completely agree with you: “There is no ‘right’ position for prayer.” It is whatever we choose :).
Kathryn says
I grew up just sitting with bowed head, but I’ve found such greater connection to prayer by praying in different positions depending on the conversation I need to have with God.
kristine says
Yes Kathryn, I find that I pray in a variety of ways based on the moment or circumstances. I find myself most often kneeling with arms open wide, looking up. At those times I feel that I am inviting God fully into my life while also wanting to honor His presence. Just the thought of His love and glory brings me to my knees sometimes:) Great post!!
Kathryn says
Thanks! It’s brought more fullness to my prayers to also pray with my whole body. Took a long time to discover this, but how we approach God is more than just our words.
Farin Vazquez says
I would assume that as church services grew in attendance and length, the need for pews and space restraints meant that people had to pray where they were- which I think it great! Because you can pray anywhere, you should pray everywhere. In any position that feels correct at the time. But this history lesson was great 🙂
Mimi says
Kathryn, as you said ” there is no ‘right’position for prayer.” in our society we usually pray by completely facing down on the floor.
Kathryn says
I’ve only recently discovered praying ‘face down’, but it’s so powerful to prostrate yourself before the majesty of God and lay your prayers at his feet.
Tina says
I find myself praying in a variety of ways. Most often it’s simple breath prayers as I go about my day, with no formal prayer position. I love how you’ve prompted us to think about the positions we pray and what each one might reflect of our heart or worship situation. Thanks for sharing, Kathryn! It’s nice being #RaRaLinkup linky neighbors with you today. 🙂
Kathryn says
It’s been quite a learning experience for me to try out different prayer positions and see the impact it has on my prayers. Something about praying with your whole body brings a new dimension to the prayer.
Holly Barrett says
I agree there is no right way to pray. But I do find it interesting that we sit through a lot of our prayers and we find no record of anyone in the Bible ever sitting in God’s presence. They were always standing, or laying prostrate before Him, it seems! I know that some of my best times of prayer have come when I was laid out by whatever I was praying about. Great thoughts here, Kathryn!
Kathryn says
It’s interesting, I was praying in my desk chair today and I suddenly felt that I needed to kneel on the ground instead. Needed to take my prayers and lay at the feet of God. Sitting is certainly more convenient, but sometimes God deserves more.
Mary Geisen says
I have loved learning and practicing ways to pray over the years. I find that as I deepen my relationship with God showing a posture of openness invites Him in and this is one that I take more often. I grew up praying with head bowed, kneeling and a very closed stance. Thank you for sharing the progression of ways to pray. Blessings friend!
Ruth says
This is really insightful and I have never read anything about prayer positions except in the bible and often overlooked them! Thank you for sharing this and encouraging me to see the meaning behind the positions! Joining you from #raralinkup!
Kathryn says
I found it interesting that the only position not mentioned in scripture (sitting) is the one we most commonly use. Some of that is probably cultural with the times, but interesting to think about what our physical approach signifies when we go to God in prayer.
Katy McCown says
Hi Kathryn, I love how you challenge us to consider how we pray. Sometimes it seems we do things without really knowing why & limit our fellowship with God – who just wants a humble and contrite spirit! Thanks for linking up with #RaRaLinkup
Kathryn says
Thanks, Katy! For me, it’s been more meaningful to know the ‘why’ behind what we do. I guess it’s my questioning spirit, but I’ve loved connecting the physical to the emotional in how we approach prayer.
Charmaine Odusina says
This is excellent. I just taught a session on prayer where we looked into this and the group were so happy to know that they could sit, stand or kneel. I often find that I’m lying prostrate on the floor to help me get rid of all the days dust, as I call it or at the kitchen sink washing up. Thank you for this well written post.
Kathryn says
I love that we can approach God in different ways – that are all good – but has been interesting to discover that connection between our body and our mind in how we present our prayers to God.
Dawn Boyer says
I was just having this discussion with my friends and our daughters at our Sat. morning Book Study. I think out of habit and reverence I always bow my head as I begin to pray, yet when I am really praying & contending my posture is changed.
Very interesting post.
Blessings,
Dawn