Before you rush into your busy day, find a quiet place to bow your heart and head in prayer. Submit yourself and your day to the Lord’s will. And if you’re able, kneel before the Lord as an outward expression of your yielded heart.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a heartwarming story.
I grew up in a little church where they believed and preached the Gospel, sang hymns from the heart, and kneeled in prayer. Sunday morning worship was serious business, and I learned as a child what it meant to bend my knee before the Lord. Our small reformed Episcopal Church had kneelers, and when we came to that place in the liturgy where, you know, we all confess our sins together, everybody gets on their knees. I don’t know, but as a child, there was something about the posture of kneeling and bowing my head that, well, it kind of instructed my soul. It was like my physical posture was the outward reflection of something happening with my spirit on the inside. “Make yourself lowly, Joni, and focus, focus. Kneel before the Lord your Maker.”
Now, it goes without saying that God listens whether his people pray when they standing up, sitting, lying prostrate, face down. So what’s my point about kneeling? Well, I wish I could do it. Being paralyzed, it is impossible for me to kneel. And in this wheelchair I never realized how much I would miss it. I remember once at a big banquet, the speaker closed his message by asking everyone in the room to push away from their tables, get up out of their seats, if they were able, and then kneel on the floor to join him for prayer. Next, there was the noisy scraping and shuffling of chairs, and then all was quiet. I looked across the room and all five hundred people were down on their knees. All except me. I was the only one sitting up.
And I could not help but cry. Oh, but please, not because I felt embarrassed or awkward to be “left out of things.” No, I was crying because I was awestruck with the beauty of seeing so many people kneel in worship, some with their hands clasped on the seat of their chair, heads bowed. It was just so lovely. And while everyone else prayed, I, too, breathed a prayer: “Lord Jesus, I can’t wait for the coming Day when I’ll rise up on strong, new, resurrected legs. I can’t wait because the very first thing I’ll then do is to drop down on grateful, glorified knees.” And that’s true. On the day I receive my new body, I’m sure my Lord will be delighted to watch me stretch my glorified arms and hands; he’ll delight to see me dance on tiptoe. But there’s something I plan to do that may please him much more. I will kneel. To choose not to move will be my demonstration – kind of a sacrifice of heartfelt thanks for the grace he gave those many years ago when my legs and hands were paralyzed. It will be my own sacrifice of praise.
So today, do what so many people who are paralyzed, or too lame, or too elderly cannot do. It is described in Psalm 95:6. Read that Psalm and take its advice. For it says, “Come, let us bow down and worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” So before you rush into your busy day, slow down. Find a quiet place in some corner of your home – a place where you won’t be disturbed – and kneel there, and bow your head for prayer. Let that physical posture be an outward expression of your yielded, worshipful heart. Oh, and one more thing – when you get down on your knees, when you actually kneel – be grateful for knees that bend to the will of God. And I really hope this little story encourages you today, giving you hope in your hardship. Bow before the Lord in submission to his will, and then rise up to serve your Savior with wholehearted devotion.
© Joni and Friends