Posture in prayer

[brymaes]

This may be true Paul, however, there are biblical postures that were taken during prayer. If they (the saints, apostles and Jesus) thought them important, should not we?

This assumes that because a naritave describes a certain posture that the saint, apostle, etc. actually considered it important. One would be really hard pressed to see those naratives as being prescriptive...

 

[Scott Bushey]

Originally posted by SharperSword

This may be true Paul, however, there are biblical postures that were taken during prayer. If they (the saints, apostles and Jesus) thought them important, should not we?

This assumes that because a naritave describes a certain posture that the saint, apostle, etc. actually considered it important. One would be really hard pressed to see those naratives as being prescriptive...

SS, I agree; I am not saying they are prescriptive.
Obviously, previous saints saw it as a posture of honor:


The Psalmist writes:

Psa 95:6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

Psa 138:2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

Jos 5:14 And he said, "No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?"

Job 1:20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.

Dan 6:10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

Act 21:5 When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed

Luk 22:41 And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed,

etc. etc.

Originally, I was questioning certain postures that contemporary Christians take: folding hands, closing eyes....


[Edited on 8-17-2005 by Scott Bushey]

 

[brymaes]

I'm not saying that we should be irreverent when we pray, indeed, we should bow when we come into the presence of a king, how much more, *the* King.

I think "bowing a head" is an ancient sign of respect. I'm not sure about the clasping of hands. People have clasped hands for thousands of years when pleading with someone, maybe that's where it comes from. But, the heart is what's important, not the posture *per se.*