Seriously, I cannot even begin to explain how much my prayer life has changed ever since I started praying on my knees. Before I came to college it was an area in my faith that was dry and fruitless, but God continued to put prayer on my heart. For the past 14 days and for the next 26 days, I will be going through “Draw the Circle, The 40 Day Prayer Challenge” by Mark Batterson. From the readings, Batterson consistently encourages the readers to “hit their knees” (to pray and pray on their knees).
Growing up, I heard of stories about people praying on their knees and I tried it a couple of times because I thought that it would be “cool”. As I got older and began to really struggle in my prayer life, I felt the urge to “hit my knees”, but I just didn’t do it. I don’t know why, maybe it was because I didn’t see the point of praying on my knees and thought that laying down on my back (half asleep) was good enough. With that being said, I remember the first time I truly did hit my knees and prayed.
I was a sophomore in college and going through “a lot”. My sophomore year was actually probably one of my hardest years and when I think back, all I can say was that it was “dark times”. I was not doing my best academically, I was busy with ASF, and I had the lowest self-esteem at the time. Everyday I would wake up and literally telling myself I was not good enough. I was swamped, defeated, and so confused. I talked to all my friends for advice and I tried to figure out my solutions, but I realized that the one person that I did not go to was God (well, I did pray, but I definitely was not praying the right prayers). I was also losing a lot of sleep because my mind was so anxious. Finally, I just couldn’t do it anymore. I hit my knees and I remember telling God that I absolutely didn’t know what to do anymore. I was at my ends and I was so desperate for God. I had no idea how to solve my problems or love myself. Once I hit my knees it was the most peace and affirmation I had received in a while.
After that experience, I tried to make it a habit to pray on my knees whenever I could. Whenever I couldn’t sleep I would get out of bed at 3 or 4 in the morning and pray on my knees. When I was done praying I would be able to fall asleep. When I think about it, I used to never pray on my knees, but now it has become something so normal to me. Whenever I feel God calling me to “hit my knees”, I do it. I hit my knees when I am defeated and when I have been overjoyed by the faithfulness of God. I cannot agree more with Batterson’s urge and push for readers to “hit their knees”. A prayer life that starts and ends on the knees is so life changing and should be experienced by everyone.
Truthfully, I thought I had grown a lot in my prayer life and that I was done, but I learned that I will never be done growing in that aspect. There is so much to prayer that you cannot just read or learn about it. Growing in prayer means taking action and actually praying. It has been a beautiful and life changing experience so far and I look forward to more intimate encounters with God through praying on my knees. May you be encouraged and blessed.
