POSTURE
- The Novelist Dario
- Jun 7
- 6 min read
One of the recordings in the Bible that has impacted me the most has come from 1st Samuel[1]. It is an example of prayer, provided by the mother of the prophet Samuel, Hannah. In verse 13, it states, “her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard.” It is a record that continues to reassure me to this day.
Oftentimes, I feel guilty when I pray silently. I feel as if I am robbing God of my voice. I feel like I am letting the voices of the world, and the demons therein, have more power and authority because they are vocal. However, as God showed me through His interactions with Hannah, that simply isn’t true. God hears the voice of our hearts. He listens to the unspoken (which would include those who are mute, if we think about it).
Not only does God hear us in the silence, but He also provides the words we may not have, as evidenced in Romans[2]. I can admit I have come to God with concerns and no idea on how to word them. Frequently, my prayers are interrupted with, “Uh,” followed by frustrated pacing.
As a writer, I am consistently concerned with phrasing. I seek to be accurate about what, where, why, who, how, and when during my prayers. It is comforting to know that God knows what I mean and even provides words when I do not know. It is rejuvenating to know that He can even interpret tears, groans, sighs, and even curse words (for those of us with untamed inner dialogues). He knows me, and by rule, this means He also knows you.
So, if praying audibly or using certain words is not the main focus of God, what is? In Matthew 6[3], Jesus clearly states that that we should not pray in public, desiring the world to see. You can argue that is not how we are to pray, but remember the apostles prayed in a house and managed to have 3,000 people hear, believe, and be baptized over their public prayer[4]. So, if public prayer is not the issue, again, what is?
Throughout the Bible, prayer has come in many forms. My favorite prayers come from Hannah[5], Jesus[6], David[7], Gideon[8], Abraham[9], and Samson[10]. Each prayer shows the state of us. We see Hannah in anguish because of prejudices. We see Abraham asking for mercy for his nephew, Lot. Jesus bled, He was so intense with his prayer! Each version, God responds.
Why does God respond? Why does He listen to question upon question from Abraham? Why does He entertain Gideon with dew on the ground? The answer, I have concluded, is posture.
What is more important than what we pray for is the posture of our hearts when we pray. God has an answer for every prayer we have, but when we take it upon ourselves to be as Saul, taking a posture that glorifies fear, power, or personal gain[11], we risk the King of kings telling us, “No,” or even going as far as to punish us for our wayward posture.
Imagine if Abraham prayed to God for Lot with arrogance, stating, “My nephew should be the only one saved from that wretched city.” Imagine if David blamed God for letting Bathsheba conceive their dying son, saying, “Why You let her get pregnant if You were just gonna kill my kid!?” Imagine if Samson prayed for his strength by saying, “Let me have my strength so that all of Israel will know that I defeated the Philistines.”
Do you see the difference? Do you hear it? It is not enough to know what you’re praying for. It is not enough to know what physical stance to take when you pray. It is not about folding the hands, bowing the head, kneeling, or prostrating yourself before God. It is about the heart, the intent, the humility, or the posture.
God doesn’t owe us anything. We’ve all sinned. We all deserve death. The simple act of listening to us is a blessing we all get to receive from God. It is a gift! It is not an earned gift. It is a love offering. Let us pray from a place of gratefulness for that gift.
“God, I know You have every right to shut Your ears to me, so thank You for listening. May I request…?”
“God, I know I deserve death, but You have shown mercy to me, and I am glad I am able to bask in it. May I pray for…?”
“God, there is much You have already given me that I am grateful for. May I also ask for…?”
Where are our hearts when we pray? Where is our grace? Where is our mercy? If you don’t know, why are you attempting to pray? We may come as we are, but we need to have the decency to attempt to come correct.
Let us not pray so that others can be impressed by our prayer, like Matthew 6 says. Let us not pray with evil intentions in our hearts, according to God’s standards. Let us not pray while expecting nothing to change. Let us not think we are more fit to pray than anyone else.
One of the best prayers came from a dying man on the cross near Jesus[12]. He asks simply, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” It is quoted as a statement, but it is a request. He can be told no, but instead, God replies, “You will be with Me in paradise.” A man who had lived a life worthy of death found salvation in the end. Why? He had the appropriate posture when he approached God to remember him.
Remember, the Bible says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”[13] There are requirements to having your prayers heard. We can approach God any way we want. He has allowed us this right for now. However, we will not see much progress if we do not first check ourselves, being our motives, our expectations, our humility, our honor, and our love.
If we approach God, let us be found approaching with humility, respect, honor, reverence, love, peace, trust, expectation, faith, and truth. God can see where we’re coming from. It is best not to come from a bad place with evil motives, lest we be punished as Jonah was.[14] God is not dumb. He knows what we want to happen. It is on us to learn from Him what we ought to pray for.
I don’t know about you, but I am grateful that God hears me in all aspects of my life. If we are terrified, He hears us. If we are guilty, He hears us. If we are happy, He hears us. If we are depressed, He hears us. If we are interceding for another person, He hears us. He hears us because He loves us.
When you pray your next prayer, ask yourself, “Am I being humble about this, or is there arrogance in my words?” “Am I praying for others, or am I praying only for myself and my desires?” “Am I praying, knowing that the miracle is arriving, or am I praying because this is what I was taught?” “Am I praying with consideration for God in this prayer, or am I trying to make God move according to my will?”
May we all be found approaching God on the throne in prayer. May we all be found doing so with God as the main concern in our prayers. Be encouraged. You are being heard. The Lord loves you and eagerly awaits your next words. Let those words be sweet to His heart, knowing, you have been found with the right posture when you began to pray.
Love you all,
The Novelist Dario
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