Kneeling in Prayer

Psalms 95:6 gives us the invitation to kneel as we supplicate the Lord: “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”  In the scriptures we are not taught, as far as I know, why it is that we kneel when praying, but we certainly have many examples of those who knelt before God in great humility and faith.  As we kneel to pray each day we might think of them and the circumstances that led them to address God in such humility.  One of the first recorded instances of kneeling comes from the account of the dedication of Solomon’s temple.  As Solomon performed the ceremony we read that he was “kneeling on his knees with his hands spread to heaven” (1 Kings 8:54).  The temple teaches us the importance of prayer and shows us that kneeling (especially in the symbolism of the altar) is an important part of our worship.  Perhaps as we kneel in our homes we might be reminded of the temple.  Another Old Testament prophet who knelt in prayer was Daniel.  When he was forbidden by decree to pray, he still did it: “He kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God” (Daniel 6:10).  That took great courage to fear God more than man, and it led to him being cast into the lion’s den.  So as we kneel we might think of the great courage of Daniel to kneel and pray even when all worldly pressure was against it.  The classic Book of Mormon example of kneeling is in the account of Enos, who wrote, “And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication” (Enos 1:4).  Enos was earnest in his supplication because he wanted so desperately a remission of his sins.  We might remember his example of great sincerity as we pray and seek forgiveness of our own faults.  Joseph Smith was also an excellent example of kneeling fervently before the Lord.  He wrote, “I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God” (JSH 1:15).  That’s how the Restoration began, and as we seek revelation on our knees in our own lives we would do well to remember Joseph’s experience.  Another scriptural example of kneeling involved the healing of the Savior.  It reads this way, “And there came a leper to [Jesus], beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean” (Mark 1:40).  This man did not kneel out of some formality or because he consciously made the choice to follow a predetermined pattern for prayer; no he knelt out of pure instinct because he knew that the Savior was his only hope of healing.  Kneeling is a way that we show our humility before God and is a recognition that we cannot solve our own problems and challenges on our own.  When we understand our true relationship with God, kneeling in prayer everyday should come naturally.  Of course, as always, the Savior is our perfect example of prayer.  Luke recorded that when the Savior was in the Garden of Gethsemane, “he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed” (Luke 22:41).  Christ’s atonement was wrought out as He knelt before the Father.  He showed ultimate humility and devotion to the Father and gave complete subjection to the Father’s will.  So perhaps the most important thing that we can remember as we go through the act of kneeling each day is that Christ too knelt in the garden offering His infinite sacrifice.  Our attitude and words as we kneel in similitude should likewise be, “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).