On My Knees

ON MY KNEES…
I have spent the past two years trying to not have to get on my knees to pray… for a myriad of reasons… To be honest some of my reasons were really, how do I say this, shallow.However I have a few that I believe are not so shallow.
When you are in a skirt/ dress or shorts your knees are bound to look shady afterward. Now I can be a bit of an absent minded chic, so after getting up for sure I know I would be traipsing around town doing my business with ashy knees and there ain’t nothing remotely sexy about ashy knees.Nothing!
I don’t know about you I do not particularly enjoy realizing I have been walking around with ashy knees- NO! Completely unsexy.

Then there is the whole uncomfortable feeling in the knees as you kneel and – you would think- due to the nature of their name knees, that kneeling would be… comfortable.. Think again! Not in a long shot. Not even in the Catholic Church I was raised in where they pad the kneeling thing… it is still NOT comfortable. As a result I grew up thinking prayer was meant to be painful and uncomfortable and a small punishment , all this – all this because of kneeling!

Back to the matter at hand have you noticed how vulnerable you feel when kneeling?
1.you can never get up swiftly. When in a kneeling position if danger was to present itself trying to get up swiftly just renders you looking undignified, clumsy and ungraceful. Call me vain (Do not judge me My God is still doing a good work in me) if I can avoid looking ungraceful, I surely will… I am just being honest.
2. The only way to fall with a semblance of dignity (when kneeling) is to fall forwards- SPLAT- then you can just ensure that you end up spread eagle, face down and just pretend that you are practicing the survival position for the day it’s just you and a hungry python in an open field (yes Pythons cannot get a grip on you to squeeze if you are spread eagle)
Totally ungraceful
3. If you fall backwards, or to the side, your legs get involved and it’s just a hot mess of ankles knees and calves all in a confused heap of human
UNGRACEFUL
So it begs the question that led me to all these ungraceful thoughts- Why do we kneel when we pray?Why? do we have to kneel?
I tend to pray seated in my car, walking around (yes even during my quiet time I pace) standing with arms to the heavens and head bowed, or depending on how hard my day has been, lying in bed! I tend not to kneel. I am just not particularly inclined to it .
So Last week whilst praying I just happened to get on my knees and by the time I was done praying I understood the power behind kneeling…
As I went down on both knees I felt wobbly for a bit then I continued to pray, as I prayed I was struck by the humility and selflessness that you feel in that position of surrender. My mind immediately went to different African cultures where the woman would kneel as she served her husband or her father and it suddenly made sense to me. (Shock and horror)
Matthew 20:20 NIV
[A Mother’s Request] Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
Esther 3:1-2 MSG
Some time later, King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, making him the highest-ranking official in the government. All the king’s servants at the King’s Gate used to honor him by bowing down and kneeling before Haman—that’s what the king had commanded

Kneeling before someone is a sign of reverence, respect, honour and I was amazed (again) at the majesty and power that is God, His magnificence and his sheer size
1 Kings 1:31MSG
Bathsheba bowed low, her face to the ground. Kneeling in reverence before the king she said, “Oh, may my master, King David, live forever!”

Kneeling before him shows you have submitted your control over your life to he who is God, Yahweh, to he who knew you before you were born, to he who knit you in your mother’s womb.
He, who only asks for you to have a relationship with him ,so that he can tell you WHY he created you. Tell you what your purpose is and how he will use you to carry out his Kingdoms agenda.
To feel his power in your life all you ‘kneed’ to do is kneel
Amakura Erbynn
March 27th 2012