Is there a proper position for prayer?

Not really. The Bible mentions people praying on their knees, laying flat on the ground or even standing up. Here are a few examples:

1. Praying flat on the ground:

Mark 14:35-36

Going a little farther, he (Jesus) fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.

2. Kneeling for prayer:

Acts 21:5

All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.

3. Praying standing up:

Luke 18:10-13

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: `God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, `God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

John 11:41-43

Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

Personally I love to pray while driving my car (This is not the only time I pray). This I feel is using my time wisely and it helps me not to get mad to the many uncareful drivers out there! Praying puts us in a different mood. We are in God’s presence and this can be clearly felt. In fact the Bible encourages us to be constantly in prayer (this would help us avoid the countless mistakes we make on a daily basis!). This would be hard to do, if we had to always kneel to pray! Col 4:2

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Rob Chaffart

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It is necessary when we pray to adopt an attitude of humility and respect. For this reason it is customary to kneel or bow one’s head. However, circumstances will dictate what we are able to do. For instance, we can pray while driving a car, while standing in a queue at a bank, while out walking, while sheltering in a foxhole or trench, while hanging upside down with feet caught in a noose, while trying to out swim a shark or while just sitting at the computer answering a prayer request.

There are no instructions that I am aware of concerning the correct position to adopt, but we can look at records of people of God who adopted different positions at the time they prayed.

Bowing

Genesis 24:26-AV And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.

Exodus 4:31-AV And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

Exodus 12:27-AV That ye shall say, It [is] the sacrifice of the LORD’S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

Exodus 34:8-AV And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.

Kneeling

1Kings 8:54-AV And it was [so], that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.

Ezra 9:5-AV And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,

Psalms 95:6-AV O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

Isaiah 45:23-AV I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth [in] righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

Luke 22:41-AV And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

Acts 7:60-AV And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Ephesians 3:14-AV For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

On the face before God

Numbers 20:6-AV And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.

Joshua 5:14-AV And he said, Nay; but [as] captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

1Kings 18:42-AV So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,

2Chronicles 20:18-AV And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with [his] face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.

Matthew 26:39-AV And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou [wilt].

Standing

1Kings 8:22-AV And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:

Mark 11:25-AV And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

So, you can see that in different circumstances, men of God adopted different postures. I personally pray in any position and location that I am in usually silently, and this would seem to be what was intended by the following.

Genesis 5:24-AV And Enoch walked with God: and he [was] not; for God took him.

1Thessalonians 5:17-AV Pray without ceasing.

However, it is clear from the examples, and the example set by Jesus, that when we are alone with God, either in the outdoors or in our special ‘prayer place’, perhaps our bedroom, we would kneel before God. If we were actually visited by God as Moses and Joshua were, then prostrate on the face would be my call too. Our God is an awesome presence. Even the inhabitants of Heaven fall on their faces before Him.

Revelation 7:11-AV And all the angels stood round about the throne, and [about] the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

Trusting this is a satisfactory answer to the question.

Lance Wearmouth

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There must be thousands of ways to pray, and I am not at any liberty of saying which one is the best way. However, I am sure of this: a true prayer which is according to God’s law originates from the place of abundance and faith.

When I go to a church, I observe that some people would really need a new lesson on praying; because it looks like they are begging and making it to be almost an impossibility to have an answer from God.

As far as my Bible interpretation goes — it is very clearly stated that whatever you ask in a prayer, believing, you shall be given it. There are no exceptions. It is also written that Jesus came that we could have a life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). It is Jesus who taught us that whatever we ask, it shall be given to us — and yet while we are speaking. Furthermore there is this very famous quote that if you knock it shall be opened; if you ask, it shall be answered; and if you request something, it shall be given to you.

It is also Jesus who said that “You, too, can do these same things”. And Jesus made a point about being in good terms with God. Now.. if we are to have faith — we should understand that “if two of you agrees on something, my father will give it to you” means really our conscious and subconscious mind. Many times our subconscious mind has a different concept as our conscious mind. Our conscious mind may be filled with negative beliefs, fears and temptations where as our subconscious mind is the tool that will bring forward our answers.

Thus we need to have the faith that the prayer is already answered…because that is the law of God…stated in the Bible.

So, it is wrong to pray with words such as “IF, CAN or IF YOU WILL and so on”. Because any of those words does not stand for FAITH. It is very clearly said how God will answer — and there are NO exceptions. God will answer ALL prayers which are prayed from the place of FAITH, and understanding that God fulfills our prayers. Jesus never said that there would be exceptions to this law.. God never said there would be exceptions.

So many people question or think that God has to take some time to answer you. This is not true. God is almighty and does answer all our prayers; but most of the times our thoughts are not tuned with the law. It is not God’s fault if we don’t believe in him — after all, the way of prayer has been stated in the Bible.

The best advice I can give you to a prayer is this:

1) recognize God and Jesus

2) recognize that will of God works always, and the law is stated in the Bible.

3) Pray from the place of answered prayer, know that your prayer is already answered…there are no delays, exceptions or blocks — this is the law…period.

4) Thank God and Jesus for an answered prayer.

5) Don’t think of the prayer — because you don’t know the hour when your answer appears into your life…it is already there and worrying, fearing and questioning are the devils which can stop the answer coming forward.

6) Pray as many times as you feel comfortable.

7) Be happy and rejoice in life!

As long as your prayer is of good report and brings good to you and others; it is a good prayer! God wants you to love yourself, him and Jesus… and you don’t need to live in the state of lack of anything!

Jesus and God have promised that we shall have everything we need to live. God is not concerned of what his children ask him. If he would be, it would have been stated in the Bible…but as far as I understand; these laws are very clear and without any exceptions.

Yes, they can be used for negative purposes…but it is good to remember that all prayers come back to you. If they are of negative nature, you may suffer…but if they are of positive nature; they will bring good things into your life!

Sami laitinen 

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I believe that proper way to pray and get results is pray from the heart. I don’t believe there any positions needed as long you as you pray from the heart.

Dave 

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If you are humble in prayer and pray in the name of Jesus, there is no special position in which you have to pray. We can pray anywhere and God will hear us. Prayer is having a conversation with God so it can be in a garden, in a room, under a tree, in a car on the way to work, on your knees in the bedroom, etc.

Marge 

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To answer this question, there is no certain way to pray. I pray riding in my car, while I type and on my computer, while I clean the house, laying down and sometimes I kneel. I pray with my hands stretched up toward heaven. As long as we pray it does not matter what position we pray. I know some may say Jesus knelt when he prayed. It is sacred to me anyway I pray. I think if you are comfortable kneeling then kneel.

However best way for that individual. I have been so sick a few times that I just laid in bed and whispered Jesus name. I have been walking and running and pray. Praise the Lord! Love

Jeane Brewer

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The Bible tells of praying in many ways (kneeling, standing, with lifted hands, etc.) I’ve always felt that one should either stand or kneel to pray.

However, this is not possible for those who may be bed-ridden or confined to wheelchairs. I truly believe God hears all prayers offered in spirit and truth, as He commands us to worship Him. I don’t think whether we’re kneeling or sitting on a sofa matters so much as whether we’re focusing on Him and submitting to His will.

Your sister in Christ,

AJ 

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Ephesians 6:18

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Luke 11:1-4 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: “`Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.”

Psalm 4:4 When you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.

1 John 5:14-15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.

This is the instruction the Lord gives us on prayer. We may pray anywhere anytime!!! There is never an incorrect time to pray!!!

May these verses be a blessing.

May God Be With You,

DeeDee

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I really don’t believe that there is a proper position to be in when you pray, I feel that God knows your sincerity and your heart.

Before my mother passed away this year, she expressed to a pastor this very question of if we were supposed to kneel in prayer. She would go to bed at night and lay in her bed and pray just before going to sleep.

While I don’t think its necessary to kneel, I think its a show of respect to do so if you are able! I do know there are many who cant. But I have always told myself that if I am physically able to kneel in prayer in my home, I would. I once went to a church where when prayer was called the entire congregation stood up, turned toward their seats and knelt in prayer. I didn’t feel this was appropriate because of the elderly who were not physically able to accomplish this feat felt left out.

Tracy Gross

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The bible teaches us to pray without ceasing so I pray on my knees, in the car, at my desk , in the shower and in the bed and my prayer closet.

Just reverence him.

Patti Lou

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The bible states lots of positions, kneeling, on your face before God, sitting, standing, dancing. I don’t God requires a particular position but sometimes I feel led to go on my face when I am wrestling over a particular intercession. God listens whether I am laying in bed or standing on my head, he promised to hear us.

I have found that at age 60 I have seen a transition in church from kneeling, to never kneeling, and always sitting, sometimes standing. I often have felt compelled to kneel for prayer, and have done so though no one else is, sometimes people join me.

I am just glad God does not require kneeling because I have bad knees now, and getting down means struggling to get back up.

what ever position – just pray!

Joy Carpenter

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The Bible tells us to pray unceasingly… So that means at anytime during our waking hours… I find myself praying when I awake, when I am eating, when I am walking, or driving. So, there are no special places, positions, or times. It also serves to keep our mind where it is supposed to be…..

Char-Lo

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I think from the heart is the only position to pray from. It doesn’t matter which position the body is in as long as the heart is in the right position.

Liz