The Posture of Prayer
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
– Matthew 6:5-8
Prayer should never be viewed as a way to impress other people.
When we pray we have an audience of one: God.
2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
– Matthew 6:2
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
– Matthew 6:16
Jesus tells us to pray in secret.
3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret.
– Matthew 6:3-4
17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
– Matthew 6:17-18
When praying we’re not to babble like pagans. Other translations use the term “vain repetitions (KJV)” or “thoughtless repetitions (NASB)”. The implication is that there is no value in simply repeating the same words over and over again.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
– Matthew 6:8
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “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.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 18:9-14
1) Don’t view prayer as a way to impress anyone (or be impressed by anyone!) – just pray focused on God;
2) Build a routine of praying in secret (and keeping it a secret!); and
3) Pray meaningfully (not repetitively!)
PRAYER POSTURES IN THE BIBLE
Kneeling
- 2 Chronicles 6:13-14 (Solomon)
- Ezra 9:5-6 (Ezra)
- Daniel 6:10 (Daniel)
- Luke 22:41 (Jesus)
- Acts 9:40 (Peter)
- Acts 20:36 (Paul)
Standing
- 1 Samuel 1:26 (Hannah)
- 1 Kings 8:22-23 (Solomon)
- 2 Chronicles 20:5 (Jehoshaphat)
- Mark 11:25 (anyone)
- Luke 18:11 (Pharisee) and 13 (tax collector)
Sitting
- 2 Samuel 7:18 (David)
- 1 Chronicles 17:16 (David)
Lying on bed
- Psalm 4:4 (David)
- Psalm 63:6 (David)
Bowing
- Exodus 34:8-9 (Moses)
- Psalm 5:7-8 (David)
- Ezra 9:5-6 (Ezra)
Prostrate
- Numbers 16:22 (Moses and Aaron)
- Joshua 7:6-7 (Joshua)
- Matthew 26:39 (Jesus)