I faced a struggle every night of my Mormon life. After a full day of rowdy kids, I was exhausted. My creaky knees screamed for relief. So I justified being a slacker every night and slipping into bed for a quickie prayer.

But then I felt guilty.

I'd lay there and obsess about whether God was mad at me since I didn't say my bedtime prayers on my knees (OCD anyone?) So eventually, I'd slide out of bed and say my prayers, feeling guilty that I didn't do it right the first time.

And around and around it went. Cuz we all know that knee-prayers are the only legitimate way to reach the Big Guy in the Sky,

So did you pray on your knees or, like me, did you cheat and pray under the covers. Did you feel guilty if you didn't hit you knees every night?

;o)

Did it all.

I remember praying on the knees during my mission in the early morning and then just falling asleep again.

Ditto.

I do have to admit to feeling a little guilty when I couldn't kneel after my knee replacement.

That guilt passed quickly.

Awesome story about kneeling to pray. On my mission I was frequently dealing with, uummm, nocturnal emmissions (wet dreams), since I didn't masturbate that was the only way to get rid of it.

Anyway, after a night where I sprayed all over my mattress in my sleep the alarm goes off at 6:30am and my companion and I get on our knees by my bed to pray and he puts his head straight down onto my soiled mattress.

Seriously, dude had it smeared all over his face.

Funny and yuck!! So, the companion would head over to your side of the bed so you could kneel and pray side to side?


I remembering chuckling when the various companionships would have morning prayer and somebody would Toot either before or after the prayer. WE were sure to scatter promptly or end our communication with God quickly to get on with the daily routine of knocking on doors and trying to talk to people that didn't want what the church was selling.

But nowadays, I do it when gardening or playing with grandchildren.

If you put your weight on the fleshy pad just BELOW the joint itself, you can kneel for a while. But I wouldn't recommend it for too long.

Those of us who have gone through joint replacement have gone through too much time, money, pain, and rehab to do anything stupid that could endanger the joints. That's why I had to get rid of my motor scooter. I loved that little thing, and rode many sets of tires right off it. But I figured it wasn't worth it to fall and smash a knee joint between the road and the bike. Just trying to imagine titanium rods and bone splinters made me queasy.

Right, and I do kneel now (no, not to pray - that's by the wayside). It took a couple years after the replacement before I could do so comfortably.

If you are trying to pray the gay away, it takes knees on the floor. I spent so damn much time praying, I finally gave myself permission to pray in bed, but I struggled with it, but when you are praying until you fall asleep and fall over, you had better be in bed.

I prayed on my knees for hours and also prayed almost non-stop when I was walking to or from any destination.

Funny that after putting in thousands (millions?) of hours of praying, I was still just as gay as ever.

Funny story about that. An older in law put her bed up on her large containers of Food Storage so she'd have to climb up into her bed and say her prayers on the bed! She lived alone so she kept a hammer under her pillow. You just never know when you'll need to use it on an intruder!! :-)

The rare times I prayed before bed, it was in bed. I justified it by thinking to myself that god knows what's in my heart. Then I felt guilty anyway.

We often had family prayers together at night, so it always seemed redundant to me to say another prayer just an hour or so later.

Been there too

In bed. No carpet in my room as a kid and hardwood floors were cold. No guilt, but then again I'm a lapsed Lutheran.

We all know that real prophets, like Lehi, receive revelation while lying in bed. I also suspect that Joseph Smith received many revelations while lying in bed, not necessarily alone though...

I lived on my knees and prayed in my bed. "Kill me God," I prayed at twelve years old, "please kill me before tomorrow." But God didn't kill me, so I killed him. Someone had to go.

Like that annoying ass little rhyme...

"On your knees or on your feet, but never in your seat"

Every day prayer nonsense was said in bed (thanks for this day, my parents, food, etc..).

However, when the really serious shit needed to be discussed and I needed that prayer to be have extra strength, then I was on my knees. Ridiculous. I somehow felt that being on my knees was more earnest and serious.

The hour was late
And I was tired
God wouldn't mind, I said

If just this once
I snuggled down and
Said my prayers in bed.

Quite often after that
I found excuse to say them there
And sometimes growing tired
Sleep came without a prayer

Satan seemed to lead me on
A simple thing from there
The best recruits he'd ever had
Were those neglecting prayer

*forgotten verse here*

But somehow prayer
A habit old
Was part of me, not these
So thankfully I breathed a sigh
And got upon my knees



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/2014 05:37PM by darksparks.

I still pray, but in my bed. not every night. I always pray when I get to work because if I make a mistake it could cost any where from $25,000 or more. I pray in my head. I don't like public prayer

We had family prayer on our knees for 3 1/2 years where Dad prayed his heart out to GAWD to give my baby sister relief from the cerebral palsy that afflicted her. She died. Maybe it was relief from the prison that was her body...but it broke our hearts. Family prayer ended there and then.

Ron Burr

I am sorry for your loss Ron, that is SO sad.

I suffer with arthritis and used to pray in bed. Kneeling was and is out of the question. Now I pray when I feel like it. I feel the 'required' prayers were not a sincere way for me to pray. Now if I see someone ill or in trouble I ask the God of my understanding to help them. End of subject. I feel better about doing it that way. Nothing forced, just a sincere, 'please' and a positive thought for whoever is involved.

I had a daughter who would refuse to kneel. Now she is one of the only active family members.

As a child we had family prayer on our knees. Personal prayers were said under the covers.

Married, no family prayers. Personal prayers kneeling on my bed with the blankets around me.

My Friends,

Thank you for your very helpful advice about my computer.

On to another topic. I am so "random abstract", I drive my children, family and friends crazy.

Did you know that Jews during Jesus life prayed standing up?

It wasn't until the 1st Century that they put benches in churches.

Very sweet missionaries drop by every now and again. They ask if they can offer a word of prayer. I always say, "Please! But let us stand up because this is how Jesus prayed." I am sure their notes consider me to be a "Wacko". It is true. I am.

We "schmooze" (a great Yiddish word) and I invite them back. They don't come back. I am sorry about this because I love learning about them; who they are; where they are from; their families and thoughts, ideas and dreams. They are so innocent, sweet and loveable.

The older I get, I realize that there is just love. Everything that appears not to be love is a request for love.

This website is an opportunity for us to share, support and love each other and to love all of those we know who are in the church.

The Beatles song was "right on". "Love is all there is".

Somewhere, I remember Jesus teaching the same thing.

I SEND MY THANKS, GRATITUDE AND LOVE TO YOU ALL.

And, by the way, "My Friends,

Thank you for your very helpful advice about my computer.

On to another topic. I am so "random abstract", I drive my children, family and friends crazy.

Did you know that Jews during Jesus life prayed standing up?

It wasn't until the 1st Century that they put benches in churches.

Very sweet missionaries drop by every now and again. They ask if they can offer a word of prayer. I always say, "Please! But let us stand up because this is how Jesus prayed." I am sure their notes consider me to be a "Wacko". It is true. I am.

We "schmooze" (a great Yiddish word) and I invite them back. They don't come back. I am sorry about this because I love learning about them; who they are; where they are from; their families and thoughts, ideas and dreams. They are so innocent, sweet and loveable.

The older I get, I realize that there is just love. Everything that appears not to be love is a request for love.

This website is an opportunity for us to share, support and love each other and to love all of those we know who are in the church.

The Beatles song was "right on". "Love is all there is".

Somewhere, I remember Jesus teaching the same thing.

When I pray, it's usually in bed. I left the Catholic church for doctrinal reasons, but the constant sit-kneel-stand of a Catholic mass would be a deal breaker as well. My knees simply can't take it anymore.