Should you pray while standing up? Should you pray on your knees? Or should you pray with your face to the ground? Which one is correct? When it comes to prayer, the posture of your heart is more important than the posture of your body. Oxford defines the second meaning of posture as “your attitude to a particular situation or the way in which you deal with it.” You must go into prayer with the right attitude. This attitude includes confidence, thankfulness, and honesty. Below, I’ll explain each one:

Confidence

First, you must be assured that God exists. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that anyone that comes to God must believe that He is. If you’re in doubt of His existence, you’re already starting off on the wrong foot. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. You have to shake off the doubt and have faith. God is real! Your words are not just hitting the ceiling and bouncing back to the ground. He hears them. 

Secondly, you must have faith that He will answer. Lack of faith can hinder your prayers. In Matthew 21:22, it states "and whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." Of course, this does not mean that anything goes. For example, praying for someone else's spouse would be ridiculous. What you pray has to be according to God's will. 1 John 5:14 says that God will hear you if you ask according to His will. You can be confident that He will answer your prayers.

Thankfulness

Psalms 100:4 advises us to “enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name.” When you go before God’s presence, enter with a thankful heart. Everything in your life may not be going well. You could be dealing with some financial, emotional, mental, sickness, or relationship issues. Yet, you can still find something to be grateful for. Giving thanks to God allows His presence to be welcomed. Trust me. It paves the way and sets the atmosphere for prayer! Two scriptures that further speak on thankfulness and prayer are Philippians 4:6-7 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

Honesty

In addition, God desires for you to pray with an honest heart. He wants you to be real with your prayers. Worshippers of God are required to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

I remember a time that I went to church furious at a particular individual. I tried to play it off in the middle of praise and worship service. God saw me praising Him with my hands raised in the pew. He told me to stop pretending. I immediately broke down crying and told Him about my anger.

God knows everything. He can detect when you are faking and shaking. We might fool people, but we can't fool God. He doesn’t like our pretending. I want to encourage you to be sincere and genuine in your prayers. This helps to create an intimate prayer life. Let Him know that you’re mad about a particular situation or person. Cry out to him and tell him that you’re depressed. Admit that you’re confused. If you’re happy about something, let Him know that. It’s not a surprise to God. He just wants you to express what you truly feel and think.

Takeaway

It does not matter if you choose to pray standing up, kneeling, or lying prostrate. This can be left up to your personal preference. What truly matters is that the posture of your heart is correct. Having the right attitude opens the door to let God in, draws you closer to Him, and paves the way for answered prayers.