Articles
Knees
When my dad was in his late sixties or so he injured his knee in a fall, and it took him a while to recover. Getting in and out of the car and other normal activities became excruciatingly painful.
As a result, he began asking friends, “Did you ever thank the Lord for two good knees?” To my knowledge, no one he asked had ever thought to thank God for two good knees.
If He had chosen, God could have designed the human leg with one long bone extending all the way from hip to ankle. Think what walking would be like with legs that didn’t bend in the middle. Or how about climbing stairs with two stiff legs?
Have you ever thought about the fact that without knees we couldn’t kneel? (The word ‘kneel” is derived from the word “knee.”)
In Gethsemane Jesus “knelt down and began to pray” (Luke 22:41 NASB).
Before raising Dorcas from the dead, “Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed . . .” (Acts 9:40).
After his farewell address to the Ephesian elders, Paul “knelt down and prayed with them all” (Acts 20:36).
In describing their departure from the disciples at Tyre, Luke says, “And after kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another” (Acts 21:5).
While the Bible does not prescribe any certain posture for prayer, it is clear that kneeling has much to recommend it. Kneeling may help remind us of our humble position before our Almighty Creator. We do not approach Him as an equal. He is God above all, eternal, all-powerful, holy.
As Paul wrote, “. . . I bow my knees before the Father . . .” (Ephesians 3:14).
