Why do we bow our heads when we pray?

That is a great question! The reason we bow our heads when we pray is to show reverence (respect) for God. What this means is that we are trying to show God how much we love, look up to and admire Him. It’s a symbolic way to humble ourselves before our Lord, kind of like in the old days when knights used to bow to kings and queens.

Is it a requirement? Absolutely not. There is no “rule” written in the Bible that says we have to bow our heads when we pray to God. There are some people who kneel when they pray and there are some people who lay down on the floor facedown when they pray. These are all symbolic ways to show our humility before our Lord.

Some people close their eyes when they pray to avoid being distracted. Some people keep their eyes open and look up to the sky when they pray. Again there are no hard, concrete rules about praying. In fact, if we were to follow the Bible literally, we should always be praying to God without stopping. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 it says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Now, if we were in constant prayer with God and had our heads continually bowed, we’d never be able to see where we were going! Just kidding. But, truthfully, I pray a lot in my car when I’m driving to work. I can promise you that my head isn’t bowed or my eyes aren’t closed! The point is to pray and to have that conversation with God continually. Prayer doesn’t always mean asking God for something either. It’s a way to acknowledge God and everything he’s done for you and your family or friends. It’s a way to let God know you’re thinking about Him! If you don’t know what to say, don’t worry. It’s a simple conversation between you and God. He won’t be offended if you can’t think of anything important to say; He just cares that you talk to Him.

If you are really stuck and don’t know what to say, follow what Jesus says about praying in Matthew 6:9-13 when He says, “This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Pretty cool, huh? You acknowledge how great God is, you pray that His will is done here on earth, you ask for the stuff you need (not want), you ask for forgiveness and ask for help in forgiving others and you ask for help against the evil one (the devil!). In that one short prayer, you’ve covered it all!!!

So, the most important thing is to pray daily. Talk to God because He loves hearing from you. Do you need to bow your head? The simple answer is no.