Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Is There a "Right" Way to Pray?

Have you ever wondering if there is a "right" way to pray? Should you kneel, sit, stand or lie prostrate on the floor? I don't think there is a "right" way, but we may want to see how Jesus prayed when He was on earth.
  In Mark 7:34, when Jesus prayed for the healing of a deaf man, He "looked up to Heaven."  In John 11:41, standing in front of the grave of Lazarus, He again "looked upward" and prayed.  In John 17:1 He again "looked up to Heaven" and prayed to the Father.
  When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemani before He was arrested the Scripture says He "went down on his knees and prayed." (Luke 22:41)  In Matthew 26:39, at the same time, it says He "fell prostrate in prayer."  In the parallel passage in Mark (14-35) it says He "fell to the ground."  Whether "prostrate" and "fell to the ground" means kneeling or lying prostrate, I don't know.
  That's all I could find in the Bible about how Jesus prayed, but I do know that it was the Jews custom at that time to stand during their communal prayer in the Temple.
  So is there a "right" way to pray?  We know Jesus knelt, stood or lay prostrate. Apparently He prayed in different positions for different kinds of prayer. I think that the most important thing is that we are reverent and respectful whenever we pray, remembering who we are in relation to the greatness of God.
 

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