A Servant’s Posture: Reimagining Prayer with James
In a previous article, I invited us to experience the unsettling disappointment of unanswered prayers.
This week, I want to start sharing how I make sense of prayer as a disciple of Jesus.
But the way I talk about prayer is less about an activity I do and more about a way of life that I experience. For me, prayer is like breathing. It’s complex, mysterious, and multi-faceted—something I can’t capture fully in a definition.
Or maybe it’s more like my trip to visit Mt. Rainier with my sister. The mountain is so massive that it has its own weather system! Some have attempted to write a comprehensive guide to Rainier, but go once and see if your experience can be contained in their guidebook. Every time you encounter the majesty of Mt. Rainier, it’s different than the time before. Instead of trying to ‘figure it out,’ Rainier is better understood as a place beyond us. You can never fully take it all in. At best, you appreciate what you can each time you go.
If that’s true for a mountain, how much more for the Creator of Mt. Rainier?
Every time we pray, we come before the One who is infinitely beyond us, the One we can never exhaust. So, instead of giving you an encyclopedic definition of prayer, I want to offer one more snapshot of what it’s like to live my life with God.
When I was a kid, whenever the phone rang and I got to pick up, I would say something like, “Hi, this is Carson. May I ask who’s calling?”
It’s the start of every conversation: Who are you? Who am I? How do we know each other?
If we’re going to gain maturity in prayer, we need to ask these questions about ourselves and God.
To help us explore this, one invaluable guide is James 1:1-18. We’ll spend the next few weeks in this passage because it grounds us in what it means to live as disciples.
Before we begin, here’s a fascinating insight from the commentator Peter Davids: “James makes allusions to Jesus some thirty-five times in his epistle—about once every three verses.” Davids’ insight shows us that the letter is saturated with the voice and teachings of Jesus. As we read James together, we’ll hear Jesus’ voice guiding us.
From the first sentence, James directs our attention to Jesus: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
James knew his identity as a servant.
For me? One of my problems can be a lack of self-awareness.
Thankfully, my kids are willing to help in this area: “Dad, that doesn’t look good on you. Dad, your jokes aren’t funny. Dad, you’re smacking your lips.” Until I encounter their honesty, I think of myself as a fashionable, hilarious, well-mannered man. Then I realize I’ve spilled ketchup on my shirt and don’t have time to brush my hair before I take them to school.
Don’t we have the same issue when we come to our Heavenly Father? Do we know the posture of our hearts before God? Are we aware of what assumptions and expectations we harbor whenever we start a conversation with God?
James, the brother of Jesus, could have based his authority on his familial relationship. George Guthrie notes in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, “James does not appeal to his familial relationship with Jesus as a basis for authority.”
If I took a DNA test and discovered I was related to Jesus, I would be tempted to share it every chance I could! But James models a different approach. He simply says, “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Where did James learn to think about himself this way? It shows that he’s consciously imitating Jesus. Paul explains this attitude in Philippians 2:
“Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead, he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity” (Philippians 2:5-7a).
Though Jesus was fully God, he approached God with the humility of a servant. Most dramatically, when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane, anticipating the horror of the cross, Jesus obediently prayed to God: “Not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
If Jesus, James, and Paul approached God as humble, loyal servants, how much more should we?
But how does a servant of God approach his or her Master in prayer?
This isn’t a familiar idea in our consumeristic, self-absorbed culture. We’re used to thinking of ourselves as customers, entitled to receive, rather than as servants, called to give.
But when we come to God, it’s important to approach him with the proper posture.
To do this, I suggest we cultivate four character traits to understand ourselves as God’s servants:
Humility: Humility is the byproduct of knowing the truth about our dignity, depravity, and deliverance. The more we accept what God says about who we are, the easier it becomes to avoid overestimating or underestimating our value, role, and connection to others.
Reverence: Reverence comes from knowing the truth about God’s majesty, glory, and transcendence. When we accept what God says about who he is, we can worship, adore, and defer to him in every matter.
Surrender: Surrender is the natural outcome of seeing God’s will as perfect, wise, and good. When we align ourselves with God’s will, our lives overflow with his love, and we are opened up to living by the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
Gratitude: From the outside, humility, reverence, and surrender may look like chains that diminish us. But experienced in the presence of our loving God, they free us to find joy in imitating Jesus.
To help us experience these realities, try incorporating these practices into your prayer life:
If you’re physically able, kneel or prostrate yourself before God.
Begin with these words: “Lord, I come to You as Your servant.”
Pray freely and confidently. You can tell God anything you want! He loves you!
End your prayer, “Yet not my will, but Yours be done. Amen.”
Does it feel scary to put yourself at God’s disposal without reservation? I feel that fear, too. What might God ask me to do? Will he send me to Siberia?
But God puts our hearts at ease. God served us before he asked us to serve him. He is always our servant, so we can trust him.
We know he loves us because he sacrificed himself for our benefit.
As Jesus himself said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
Imagine going to Mt. Rainier with a sense of entitlement: I deserve to see the mountain in all its glory! There should be no clouds today. I expect the perfect view. If that’s your mindset, you’ll likely leave disappointed if conditions aren’t ideal—or even if they are.
But those who come to Mt. Rainier with open hands and an open heart—ready to receive whatever the mountain reveals—leave in awe, even when rain and mist obscure the peak.
It’s the same with prayer. If we come demanding answers, expecting everything to go according to our plans, we’ll often leave frustrated and confused: God, why didn’t You do what I asked? What’s the problem?
But when we approach God humbly, like a servant before his Master—ready to receive whatever He chooses to reveal—we’re surprised to discover that we are meeting not just a Master, but a humble Friend.
Think about it: what’s the natural goal of a conversation? We’re used to them being transactional, trying to efficiently get what we want. But the highest form of interaction is simply to be with another person, to share presence rather than demands.
So come before God with humility, reverence, surrender, and gratitude.
As you kneel in awe of His Majesty, you will find yourself communing with the Servant King—the One who, incredibly, kneels to serve you.
Photo by Andrew Ruiz on Unsplash
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