How Do You Stand Tall When You Are On Your Knees?

Mark 11:24 – Therefore I say unto you, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (KJV)
1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray without ceasing. (KJV)

The world measures people by so many different standards and units of measure. Some people's drivers' licenses show that they are 7 feet tall. My new-born daughter was just over 18 inches long when she was born. My wife is very petite and stands less than five feet tall. But what I want to know is, "How tall do you stand when you are on your knees?"

Prayer is the great equalizer of our stature. For when we go to our knees in prayer, no longer is our standing determined by our physical attributes. The prayer of an 8-foot giant does not reach God any faster, or get answered any sooner, than the prayer of a diminutive child.

But how tall we stand on our knees can be changed. When we pray, the method and meaning behind our prayers does indeed influence the response we will receive.

I, and probably most others, have often felt as if my prayers were in vain — that God did not hear my prayer, or that my prayer was not answered. But I realize that was my first mistake. Why even bother asking God for something if you do not believe that He will hear and answer your prayer? It is like going in to your boss to ask a raise and having no confidence in yourself, and no belief that you will get the raise. Why bother? Jesus tells us in Mark 11:24 that when we pray, we should do so with sincere faith and belief that God will answer our prayers. If we do so, then God is faithful and just to answer our prayers. So if you want to stand taller when you are on your knees, you don't need a dose of growth hormones, just a good old-fashioned dose of faith.

But growing on our knees does not just come through faith. Just like building muscles and stature requires repetitious exercise and discipline, increasing our prayer stature also requires repetition and discipline. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that we are to "pray without ceasing." Now that requires some effort. Prayer is not just something we should do when we need a helping hand. Prayer is, or should be, part of our lifestyle. We should spend good quality time with God each day in prayer.

In the past year or so I have been pretty faithful in having a daily quiet time with God, and let me be the first to testify to the dramatic difference it has made in my life. Once it becomes a part of daily life, it is something one just can't do without. There has been a noticeable difference in my days when, for some reason or another, I missed my quiet time with God. Sometimes I have had headaches, other times, just really stressful and hectic days, but the difference is always there.

My life has improved so much since I decided to get taller on my knees.

So again I ask, "How tall do you stand on your knees?"

As we pray today, let us reflect upon the words of Jesus and Paul. Let us make our prayer meaningful, and let us have faith in our hearts that our prayers will be answered. Let us ask God to supply the faith that we need to grow in our prayer lives.

Prayer: Lord, teach us to pray. Help us to grow taller on our knees. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

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