Sermon Outlines

By Frederick F. Schwindt, Evangelist

POSTURE IN PRAYER

1. How to appear before the great King of the universe should be of deep concern to all who come to God in prayer:
   1. We do well to consider the attitude of holy angels, who live in His presence - Isa. 6:1-4
   2. Too often we approach prayer with a rather careless and irreverent attitude.
2. This brief Bible study is intended for us to give prayerful consideration to the teaching of the Bible on:
   1. The proper approach to God when in prayer.
   2. What we must avoid while in prayer.

1. The Bible speaks of:
   1. Kneeling in prayer -
      1. Of Solomon it is written, "he rose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven" - 1 Ki. 8:54
      2. Said the apostle Paul, "I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" - Eph. 3:14
      3. And of the Lord Jesus, Luke writes, "And he was withdrawn about a stone's cast, and kneeling down, and prayed." - Luke 22:41
   2. Bowing, and falling on the face -
      1. Abraham's servant bowed down, and worshipped the Lord - Gen. 24:26, 52
      2. The Israelites in Egypt bowed down and worshipped the Lord when they heard the message of deliverance - Ex. 4:31
      3. Our blessed Lord fell on His face and agonized in His prayer - Luke 22:44; Matt. 26:39
   3. Standing while praying - 1 Sam. 1:26; 1 Ki. 8:14, 55; Luke 18: 11, 13
   4. Spreading out the hands before God - Isa. 1:15; 1 Tim. 2:8; Ps. 134:2
2. Any one of these postures are proper, the use of these approaches to God depending upon our mental attitude at the time:

1. Personally, I like to kneel when I pray:
   1. For to me the kneeling posture suggests awe and holy reverence before God.
   2. "My heart standeth in awe of thy word" - Ps. 119:161
   3. "Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." - Ps. 33:8
   4. The kneeling posture seems to have been used more frequently than any other.
2. Bowing and falling down is evidence of great humility and a deep concern about our approach to God:
   1. Our blessed Saviour, with the approach of his crucifixion, was so deeply concerned about the cup he was about to drink that he literally fell down and cried to God - Compare Matt. 26:39 with 14:35; Heb. 5:7
   2. Daniel was so overpowered by the glory of and power of Gabriel that he fell on his face like a dead person - Dan. 10:8-11
3. The spreading out the hands toward heaven:
   1. This posture indicates our reaching out to God for help - Ps. 121:1-6
   2. It is an expression of deep longing to be accepted by the Lord.
4. Standing in prayer:
   1. There is no wrong in praying in a standing posture because even our blessed Lord used this posture on certain occasions. That seems to be indicated in John 11:33-44
   2. He said to his disciples, "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any" - Mark 11:25
5. What is important:
   1. Our personal attitude when we pray. If our heart is not right before God, then the posture of prayer will not change the effect of prayer.
   2. It pays to be very sincere when we approach the Lord, whether we kneel, bow down, or stand before God, let us do it with awe and reverence before God.