What if just one prayer time a week was spent in the position above?  Bent down, hands open, aware of our need for mercy, revering God, simply enjoying the privilege to be at the feet of the Savior of the world?  

Within the last year or so, I learned about this position when I was looking up the word "bless" in bible dictionaries.  I had no idea there was a concrete, highly descriptive image and action behind the word "bless".  It taught me about a prayer position that I was not taking.  It suddenly made me realize how lazy I had gotten with my body when in prayer.  I realized I rarely, if ever, bent my knees to welcome God, to humble myself in bodily position as I talked with Him.  As I write this, I realize again, I do not take this position nearly enough with Him.  

"I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel..."- Psalm 16:7 KJV

​According to bible resources, the word bless is defined as Hebrew word 1288 and is used 330 times in the Old Testament.  It means to bend the knee, to kneel down, with the primary notion of breaking down, offering a gift.  "Let us kneel down before the Lord God our Maker".  It has the idea of adoring God on bent knee with an attitude of reverence towards Him.  It is also defined as God bending the knee to extend gift, i.e. His divine favor reaching down and causing one to prosper, bestowing blessings. 

After learning of this definition, I took time to picture God at my feet giving me a gift.  It was uncomfortable.  I felt I was offending Him.  Who was I to have God at my feet to receive a divine gift?  Who was He to serve me?  I know my reaction to that picture of God at my feet was intense because in fact, I had a long season of mistreating God.  I had a time of expecting and demanding He give me what I wanted, the way I wanted it.  So I was quick in my spirit to reject this image because I still have grief in my heart over treating Him that way.  But God had intent with me to transform how I was reflecting on the image of Him at my feet.   

Jesus being at our feet, offering us divine gift is in fact scriptural.  He is at our feet, the One who though being God did not use that to His own advantage, rather he made himself nothing, and took the form of a servant, being made in human likeness.  He humbled himself and became obedient to a shameful death on a cross.  Therefore God exalted him... (see Philippians 2:1-11)   

If I really connected with the countless times He has bent down and offered me love, a cleansing, forgiveness, grace, mercy, help, hope, revelation, wisdom, discernment, protection, joy, healing, correction, rest, release, freedom, strength, purpose, friendship, comfort, a new beginning, a new song, creative inspiration, truth... I would be returning on bended knee with hands open, bowing and blessing the Name above every other name.  In His perfect wisdom, the LORD was showing me something that needed to change in my prayer position.  On bended knee, there was a blessing of rest and a new intimacy to experience.  But oh how often we miss out on this!

We spend soooo much time wanting to “know” don't we?  We put sooooo much energy reaching for knowledge, so that we can “have” and "get".  It's quite normal to human nature, so normal it takes radical transformation to recognize how much we strive.  But we need to do a hard stop and  realize how much of our prayer language is strife.  Striving is often a major portion of our prayer language.  And when striving is our prayer language, our prayers often sound like this;:

“God, what is happening? What are you doing? Where are you? What am I supposed to do? How come this isn’t working? What should I try next? Get me out of this situation, I can’t do this anymore.  I want more and feel held back.  Nothing is changing... (Prayer time ends in frustration... we move on with our day)."

Coming to God in striving leads to hurried prayer, rapid fire words aimed at God.  We can fool ourselves that our times of prayer are prayer when in fact they are just "mulling over" sessions with ourselves.  Our thoughts quickly trail off to processing on our own.  One time when I felt I was praying a lot, I sensed the Lord convict me that I mostly talked to myself, and kept Him in the background.  What I thought was prayer, was just me merely processing with myself, to points of over processing.  In this mode, one starts anxious and ends frustrated and totally misguided.  God was never really invited in to that "prayer time". 

If we are honest, too often He is just treated as a sounding board for frustrations.  Nothing is released, no thoughts are transformed; we keep the burden and resist Him.  We do not receive the gift of rest he has in His hand to give us.

What if just one time a week, we bent down  in reverence and blessed God, hands empty, heart open?  There is rest in this position, supernatural rest God will offer that cannot be explained!  

Your heart will soften with face bowed low.  Tears might come instead of anger.  Deep sighs will release what words cannot express. ​ He'll quiet you with His love.  He'll transform you at His feet.  God exalts the humble.  He raises the weary and burdened.  What is sown in weakness is raised in power.  What is sown in the natural body is raised a spiritual body.  Do the simple thing.  Bow at His feet, come empty handed.  Revere the One who left His Father's glory to serve you on the cross.  If this is all you offer, He will be greatly blessed and so will you!

One day, every knee will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord...  


   



​

Got this card in the mail couple of days ago,  It was from someone who I did not know was praying for me as I go off to lead a prayer retreat this weekend.  Was super touched to receive it; and by what she wrote, and what she glued on the inside of the front cover.  Just last week I was thinking about some of my first prayers and the "Now I lay me down to sleep" one was all I prayed until I was 28!  Was so blessed to see this reminder in this card! 

Beginning around 4 years old, my bedtime ritual included first checking for monsters under my bed.  Once I knew things were "all clear" under my bed, I would pray the "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer along with some other things like asking for blessings on my family and asking for nothing traumatic to happen to me.  Its interesting at how such a young age the list of anxieties were always included in my prayers.  But not so much I guess, considering no matter our age, we need to be stilled within.  God is faithful to do so.  No monsters every got me ;).  No monsters ever will because I am covered and hidden within the indestructible life of MY Savior.

If you have the influence, teach a child to pray a simple prayer for their soul to be protected by Jesus.  Teach yourself too.  I'm super thankful for the fact that although we never went to church, my mom found it important to teach me this prayer.  It did plant a seed for a deep spiritual truth to work in my heart at a very young age!  I prayed it every night.

May you offer up a childlike prayer if anxieties overwhelm.  We are never to old to be held by Him, never too old not to call him daddy, never too old to say "Father, please help me."  

Psalm 116:1-2- I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.

Encourage someone today that you are praying for them!  Encourage yourself by spending some time alone with God.  More next week!  Blessings! 

Last Saturday was another time of precious time in God’s presence and supernatural touch by our good God. The theme of the time was Psalm 16:2, “apart from you Lord, I have no good thing”.

One of the things that God always does is touch certain people in ways that releases emotion that has been compartmentalized and inaccessible. One of the attendees shared that she has not been able to mourn over a deeply painful situation, but finally accessed it in the session. God’s Spirit is gentle and draws us in a such a way that we rest and let go. He penetrates that which we cannot touch, things so overwhelming and painful that we cannot feel anything but numbness, but He sees it and unearths what is buried. But He does it in such a way that releases supernatural balm into those deep wounds. The emotional release people experience is due to relief and experiencing His supernatural love and healing presence. It is a work of the Spirit beyond our conception!

“However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:9-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬
http://bible.com/111/1co.2.9-11.niv

In God’s presence, his thoughts become our thoughts. The picture at the top shows baskets filled with a prayer requests from each. These represent good thoughts, good requests, formed in them through God’s spirit work in them! Our time ended by redistributing these prayer requests anonymously and taking a time to pray for another. We took our eyes and focus off ourselves for a moment, and carried a burden for another. By doing this, we are an instrument of God’s promise to heal another.

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
‭‭James‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭KJV‬‬
http://bible.com/1/jas.5.16.kjv

These are the collective cries...
​ ... healing and unity and wholeness in marriage, God centered selfless love, forgiveness of self and others, restoration where God sees fit, clear direction, becoming trustworthy of others, to experience supernatural peace in financial and relational situations, to be filled with peace even when situations are confusing, for God’s guidance through current struggles, for help to direct energy to serve God, for God’s reassuring presence, for help to meet demands and challenges, for light and truth to guide themselves and family, for healing of depression, anxiety, and loneliness, to feel and know God’s hovering and protective presence, to increase in trust of God, for a place to live, willingness to allow God to enter weaknesses and trust He will sustain and grow them, find balance, for scattered pieces to be put back together, to trust the Lord more and not lean on their own understanding...

What beautiful language of children seeking God! God heard their cries for mercy and will answer because He gives good and perfect gifts from Heaven, James 1:17.

“I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭116:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬
http://bible.com/111/psa.116.1.niv

May you pray for those requests above and be a part of another’s healing. May you find language that inspires your prayers and cry out for mercy. May you invite God’s spirit to search your deepest places and believe in His good hand to reach and heal what you cannot reach on your own power. Blessings!

“The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord that sheds light on one’s inmost being.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭20:27‬ ‭NIV‬‬
http://bible.com/111/pro.20.27.niv