The Spirit of Excellence – Focus on Posture

The Spirit of Excellence – Focus on Posture
Stan Davidson

 

It was a given in my family while growing up. Slouching  was not permitted. Whining was not tolerated. We were  taught to walk with backs straight and head held high.  Some people would call it “proud,” but a little positive  self esteem never hurt anyone. Posture is a means of  communication in itself and I want to take a little time  to speak of spiritual posture.

What one does is often overshadowed by the way he does  it. Mannerisms can speak volumes when the mouth is  silent. Indeed, those of the female gender often seem  gifted with the ability to communicate without opening  their mouths. I am certain that the males reading this  article have had the same impression as the author at  one time or another; “Oops, I’ve done something wrong.”  While we can laugh at our human inclinations it may  behoove us to consider that God can also read the  meaning of our posture and mannerisms.

Sarcasm is more often communicated with voice  inflections and posture than with words. Indeed, the
same words spoken in a different posture can have a  totally different meaning. What are we communicating to  God with our carriage and mannerisms?

The quality of one’s praise has a lot to do with his  bearing. There are joyful expressions that speak louder
than words. In fact, “joy unspeakable and full of glory”  of necessity is expressed with something other than
words. It is unspeakable! (1 Peter 1:8) David said more  with his actions — the clapping and raising of his
hands, the exuberance of his voice, and even an  occasional fanatical dance —than his words could ever
express. One can be certain that God’s love for David’s  praise was not solely based in his poetic ability.

Emotion is an expression of the soul. Emotionless praise  is no praise at all, but simply a collection of words.  We may be called fanatics by the “controlled”  individuals among us, but that is just the problem —
they are controlled. Have you never gotten a hold on  something that was a bit beyond your control? Have you  never felt the presence of God in a way that made you  lose control — or better yet, made you yield control?  The Queen of Sheba was impressed by what she saw — the  coming and going of Solomon’s servants. She loved the  way they came to and went from the house of the Lord.  The Old Testament allowed a bit of pomp and circumstance  in spiritual matters. So, how much more should we who
have the Baptism of the Holy Ghost make grand  expressions of praise to our God?

Posture communicates a lot. When Eli saw Hannah weeping  in the Temple he thought she was drunk. (1Samuel I) It  was not the words she spoke but the posture of a broken  heart. Sometimes we come to God with the posture of a  broken heart. Sometimes we approach God by falling  prostrate before him — an abject expression of humility.  But prayer should not be relegated to the pose of  penitence.

Jesus gave us another insight into the posture of  prayer. We are accustomed to bowing our heads, closing
our eyes, and approaching God as an unworthy creature.  This is well and good, but is it the only disposition of  prayer? In John 11:41 and 17:1 Jesus “lifted up his  eyes.” He prayed with His head lifted and His eyes  focused upward. Was this only for the Son of God, or can  we mere mortals learn from this?

If we look forward we see the problems that lie ahead.  Most forecasters are predicting tough economic times  worldwide. If we look backward we see yesterday’s  problems and troubles. God in his infinite wisdom  designed the human body in such a way that it is  difficult and inconvenient to look backwards. Perhaps He  put our eyes in the front for a purpose. If we look down  we only see the mire in the bottom of the pit. But when  we look upward we see the blue sky and we see hope for  the future. Indeed, looking upward is symbolic of  looking toward God. “I will lift up mine eyes unto the  hills…” (Psalm 121:1)

Does our posture of prayer contradict our words? When we  claim to trust God is this trust reflected in our
bearing? Some people always seem to convey defeat with  their pose and mannerisms. It is common to hear someone  say, “I’m doing well under the circumstances.” God never  intended for His people to be “under the circumstances.”

 

God’s church is never in danger of destruction. She has  proven that she can survive under any government, in any  economy, and through any pestilence. The only safe place  in the world is in the church. Our posture should  exemplify our faith. When the world is looking down we  should be looking up. Our prayers should be aimed  upwards. While there are times to express penitence, we  are primarily children of promise, not living in  perpetual sin but in perpetual victory. Let us come  boldly before the throne of grace with an expression of  expectancy in our eyes. Our faith and rejoicing should  be evident even if people never get close enough to hear  our words. After all, to the Church, things are looking  up!

The above article, “The Spirit of Excellence – Focus on  Posture” is written by Stan Davidson. The article was  excerpted from The Louisiana Challenger March 2009.

The material is most likely copyrighted and should not  be reprinted under any other name or author. However,  this material may be freely used for personal study or  research purposes.