THE KNEELING BENCH
Kay Keith Peebles 03/12/2021 21.10
Professor Edwin Orr of Wheaton University had a class of eager theology students in 1940. He thought it would be inspirational to take them to England to visit the sites where great revivals had taken place. One of their stops was in Epworth, England, the location of John Wesley’s rectory. It was the part-time home of the great Evangelist during the 1700’s. Wesley led crusades and outdoor gatherings both in England and in the United States attracting huge crowds of people hungry to hear the word of God.
Wesley was known as a great man of prayer and that was evidenced when Professor Orr’s class entered his bedroom in the rectory. Beside the bed were deep indentions in the carpet made by John Wesley’s knees as he knelt for hours on end praying for revival. The reality of the price he paid for life-changing revival for thousands in both Britain and the United States was both staggering and humbling.
Quietly reflecting on the impact of what they had seen, the class began to leave the room and return to the bus waiting outside of the rectory. Each young student found his seat on the bus. Dr. Orr did a head count to make sure he had all the students on board before the bus continued on to the next stop. He discovered one lone student was missing so he walked back into the rectory to find him. His search ended in Wesley’s bedroom. As he entered through the door he saw his missing student humbly kneeling in Wesley’s knee prints praying earnestly, with tears pouring down his face. He could hear the refrain passionately repeated over and over again; “Do it again, Lord! Do it again.” That student was Billy Graham.
“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day.” Habakkuk 3:2, NIV.
“God’s giving is inseparably connected with our asking.” Andrew Murray.
Whether they used the floor beside their bed or a kneeling bench in their room, thousands of men and women over the centuries have opened the gates of heaven by spending hours of earnest prayer for revival. God does not move unless we ask Him to move. He cannot move without a surrendered vessel to pour through. If the souls of the lost are not a primary focus in our heart, we have fallen short of the full purpose of our salvation.
Prayer is a humble act of interceding for others asking God to bring His kingdom into their circumstances to heal, deliver and save them. Kneeling in particular is the physical act of humility before a Holy, Almighty, and loving God as we make our requests before Him.
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!” Psalm 95:6 ESV.
Kneeling is a sign of surrender. It is also a way of paying homage or respect to another.
Even Jesus kneeled before His heavenly Father and prayed in the garden of Gethsemane before his arrest and crucifixion. “And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed.” Luke 22.41, ESV.
Stephen fell to his knees interceding for those who stoned him. “And falling on his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them,’ and when he had said this, he fell asleep (died).” Acts 7:60, ESV. Emphasis mine.
In the Book of Revelation there is a scene described where all of heaven bows before the Lord. “And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” Revelation 5:8, ESV.
Two of the greatest accounts of kneeling in the Bible are in the Book of Daniel. The first is in Chapter 3 where King Nebuchadnezzar constructed a golden statue of himself which was ninety feet tall and nine feet across. He decreed that when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, lyre, harp or pipe, they were to bow down and worship the king. Those who did not bow down and worship King Nebuchadnezzar would be thrown into the fiery furnace. Chaldean men reported to the king that three Jewish men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down before the statue of the king. They were brought before the king who insisted they bow down to worship him.
Their response was fearless. “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, it is not necessary for us to answer you on this point. If our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up!” Daniel 3:16-18, AMPV. Most know the story. The king made the furnace seven times hotter and it killed the man who threw them in but the king saw four men standing in the fiery furnace instead of three. The Lord Himself came to stand with them because of their selfless faith. The three Jewish men came out unharmed. God had spared their lives because they refused to bow down to any other god but the Lord God Almighty!
In the second story in the Book of Daniel we find a similar account regarding Daniel himself. King Darius was enticed by his leaders to make a decree that the people of the province could not pray to anyone else or petition any other god except King Darius or be thrown into a den of lions. “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house, and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he got down upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” Daniel 6:10, AMPV. We know that Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den and was not devoured! He came out unharmed. The king then ordered the men who accused Daniel to be thrown into the lion’s den and they were devoured by the lions.
King Darius then, having been mightily affected by the power of Daniel’s God to protect him, made a decree for all the people. “I make a decree that in all my royal dominion men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for He is the living God, enduring and steadfast forever, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed and His dominion shall be even to the end [of the world]. He is a Savior and Deliverer, and He works signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth—He Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” Daniel 7:26-27, AMPV.
Nothing happens without prayer! God does not move without prayer. We have an eternal covenant with the Lord. He requires us to ask, pray, and petition Him. It is a sign of humility on our part and faith in the One who is able to change the situation. Prayer is an understanding that we can’t do anything without the Lord. It is His power that heals, saves and delivers.
Our prayers invite the Kingdom of Heaven’s power, authority and activity into the earthly realm. On the contrary, prayerlessness allows the kingdom of darkness to continue to spread its evil into the earthly realm unchallenged!
Prayerlessness is a result of unbelief. If we truly believed God is who He said He is, and does what He said He would do we would pray! We would not only pray, we would be praying without ceasing.
Praying the Word of God is truly praying the will of God over a situation. In Daniel Chapter 9, Daniel was reading the books recorded by the prophet Jeremiah who had prophesied Israel’s judgement, and captivity of 70 years by the Chaldeans. While reading Jeremiah’s writings, Daniel calculated that the time God prophesied they would be in captivity for 70 years was completed. Then Daniel began to pray for Israel’s release from captivity written in the word of the prophet. Prophetic words are God’s will or warning but even they need intercession to bring to pass or to stave off judgment.
“And I set my face to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.” Daniel 9:3, AMPV.
Daniel repented for the sin of the Israelites confessing their transgressions quoting the Law of Moses. See Daniel 9:4-14. He continued by beseeching the Lord to now turn away His anger at their sin and release them to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild their desolate city and sanctuary.
The Lord not only heard the prayers of Daniel, He sent him the angel Gabriel to talk with him. Gabriel revealed many future prophetic events to Daniel including Jesus the Messiah’s coming to his people. See Daniel 9:25.
Prayer that worshipfully honors the Lord opens the heavens. Prayer that exudes from faith in God and His word receives the Lord’s full attention. Prayer that humbly pleads for others gains great favor with the Lord. Prayer that is without ceasing brings His continual Presence.
There are still prayer benches in use today as well as bedside carpets. No matter how simple the circumstances, one who gives themselves to prayer will always have the ear of God and the power of the Almighty behind them. Mountains will fall, sinners will repent, the lost will be saved, captives will be set free and the sick will be healed!
The only way to change the circumstances around us is to kneel and pray.
