Article – Kneeling Before God: A Universal Act of Devotion

Kneeling Before God: A Universal Act of Devotion Article – Kneeling Before God: A Universal Act of Devotion

The Symbolism of Kneeling

Throughout history, humankind has employed various gestures and postures as symbols of its reverence and subservience to the Divine. Among these gestures, kneeling stands out as prevalent in many of the world’s religions, a physical gesture that expresses submission, humility, and reverence to a higher power.

Kneeling is also a common gesture of respect in many cultures, beyond its religious context. We kneel before royalty, dignitaries, and other people whom we hold in high esteem. In this way, kneeling can be seen as a way of showing our gratitude and appreciation for the gifts and blessings that we have received.

Kneeling can also be a powerful way to connect with our inner peace and to find strength and clarity. There are many different ways to kneel in prayer, but there is no right or wrong way to kneel, as long as the gesture is made from a place of genuine humility and reverence.

Kneeling before God in Christianity

“When you kneel down to pray, remember that you are kneeling before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
– The New Testament (1 Timothy 6:15), Christian scripture

Kneeling in prayer in Islam

“O you who have believed, bow and prostrate and worship your Lord and do good – that you may succeed.”
– The Quran (22:77), Islamic scripture

Kneeling before God in Judaism

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.”
– The Hebrew Bible (Psalms 95:6), Jewish scripture

Kneeling in prayer in Hinduism

“When you kneel down to pray, make sure that you are kneeling before God and not before your own ego.”
– Swami Vivekananda, Hindu saint

Kneeling before God in Buddhism

“Bowing helps to eliminate our self-centered ideas. This is not so easy. It is difficult to get rid of these ideas, and bowing is a very valuable practice. The result is not the point; it is the effort to improve ourselves that is valuable. There is no end to this practice.”
– Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Buddhist monk and teacher

Kneeling in prayer in Sikhism

“Bow in humility within your heart, and you will find the Lord, right here and now.”
– Guru Granth Sahib (p. 489), Sikh scripture

About the author

Akhilesh Gupta

Akhil Gupta is the founder and director of Universal Enlightenment Forum, a 501(c)3 corporation. He has been associated with Harvard University since 2015, first as a fellow at Advanced Leadership Initiative and later as an Impact Leader in residence in 2023. Akhil currently serves on The Dean’s Leadership Council at Harvard Divinity School, on the Advisory Board of Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program, and on the Advisory Board of Harvard’s Chan Initiative on Health and Homelessness.
He is the author of two books “Bridges Across Humanity” published in 2023 and “To Flourish is To Love Learn Play” to be published in December 2025.He was inspired to write these books while studying at Harvard University.
Prior to Harvard, he was the founder Chairman of Blackstone India & Senior Managing Director of The Blackstone Group. He also served in senior positions at Reliance Industries Limited and Hindustan Unilever
Akhil has a B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology and an MBA from Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. He served on the Advisory Council of the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University from 2014 to 2021

See All Commonalities Across Religions