I remember a pastor saying it was amazing to watch 200 heads bow in unison with all eyes closed when he uttered two little words, “Let’s pray.” Especially in church, this is the position most commonly taken during prayer. As children many of us were instructed to fold our hands together too, and keep that posture (no peeking!) until we heard “Amen.” For a child learning proper church etiquette, I think some of us just heard this as “all clear, as you were!”
Truth be told, nowhere in the Bible is this posture prescribed as the proper stance for prayer. Jesus looked toward heaven and prayed (Mark 6:41, 7:34, John 17:1). He also prayed with His face to the ground (Matthew 26:39). In the Pharisee and the Tax Collector parable, He pictured the one standing and boasting of being better than others with eyes wide open, while the other humbly prayed with head bowed and eyes closed.
Perhaps some of our tradition of bowed head, closed eyes and folded hands comes from this parable. Maybe we do it because it shows reverence to God, blocks out distractions around us, stills busy hands and quiets our energetic fidgeting, no matter the age of the pray-er. Scriptures record people kneeling, lying on the ground, raising hands in worship, bowing, and even dancing in worshipful prayer.
What matters is the state of the heart. Our physical posture is secondary to what God sees as we pray. “God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
For many, our most effective prayer posture is to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). For others, our joy is so great that we dance before Him (2 Samuel 6:14), though not so much in church. I confess that many times in corporate prayer, I’m not just sneaking a peak: I’m praying with eyes wide open. Why? Because these are times I want to be in agreement and united with all God’s children around me, and seeing myself and others in this special moment fills me with joyful praise. That’s where I want my heart to be when I’m worshipping with my church family.
I encourage us all to assume our most effective private prayer posture today and relish our time with the Lord. He sees your heart and mine, and invites you to a divine appointment…just you and Him.
"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14).