The Posture of Devotional Prayer

What Psalm 131 Teaches Us About Bowing Low in Prayer

Speaker: Pastor Caleb Culver
Date: January 18, 2026

A heart postured in prayer bows low—but what does it truly mean to bow low before the Lord? How do we carry that posture into our daily prayer? In week two of our Deeper series, Pastor Caleb Culver walks us through Psalm 131, inviting us to reflect on how we present our hearts before the Lord.

Here's a 5-day devotional guide based on this sermon:

Day 1: Approaching with a Humble Heart

Reading: Psalm 131

Devotional: David's shortest psalm reveals the longest lesson: spiritual maturity is found in humility, not striving. Like a weaned child who approaches their mother not for what they can get, but simply for love and presence, we're invited to come before God with hearts bowed low. Your heart may be sick with hurt, addiction, or self-hatred—incurable by your own effort. But God doesn't ask you to heal your heart; He asks you to humble it. Today, resist the urge to fix yourself. Instead, bring your brokenness honestly before the Father. Name your emotions without being controlled by them. Let your first posture be surrender, not requests.

Day 2: Listening Before Speaking

Reading: Luke 10:38–42

Devotional: Martha's anxiety wasn't wrong—it was misplaced. She was distracted from her point of reference: Jesus was in her home. Mary understood what Martha missed: the meal isn't primarily about the food, but about presence with the One at the table. Your busy soul and troubled heart need what only sitting at Jesus' feet can provide. Before you bring your to-do list to God, bring your attention. Before you speak your requests, listen for His voice. The Father has been waiting for you in secret, not to hear your performance but to enjoy your presence. Today, measure spiritual maturity not by your activity but by your ability to simply be with Him.

Day 3: Pouring Out Your Heart

Reading: Psalm 62:8

Devotional: God invites you to pour out your heart before Him—and remarkably, He receives it as worship. Those hidden sins, secret weaknesses, and deep hurts you're ashamed to bring? They're not too gross for God. When you expose them in His presence, He doesn't recoil; He responds with identity, worth, and value. This is the beautiful exchange of devotional prayer: we give Him our brokenness, and He speaks truth over us. We cannot go deep in God without letting Him go deep in us. There's no such thing as knowing God while hiding yourself. Today, unlock that box of past pain and present struggle. Trust that confession leads to communion.

Day 4: The Weaning Process

Reading: Hebrews 5:12–14

Devotional: If God feels distant, if prayers seem unanswered, if His presence isn't as tangible—you may not be abandoned. You may be being weaned. Like a child transitioning from nursing to solid food, the process is noisy, painful, and necessary. God is maturing you from an infant who only approaches Him for needs to be met, into a child who wants Him for relationship itself. This is the journey from green pastures into the valley of the shadow of death. Don't mistake His weaning for His withdrawal. He hasn't left you; He's teaching you to trust Him for who He is, not just what He provides. Today, choose to trust His process over your comfort.

Day 5: Receiving a New Heart

Reading: Ezekiel 36:26–27

Devotional: You are not responsible for healing your heart—God is. But you are responsible for humbling it. Jesus didn't come to repair your broken heart; He came to give you a completely new one. Your heart of stone—emotionally shut down, given to compulsions, resistant to trust—He exchanges for a heart of flesh through the finished work of the cross. This new heart is teachable, repentant, content, and trusting. It doesn't think less of itself in self-hatred; it simply thinks of itself less. Today, stop trying to cure what is incurable. Instead, bring your sick heart to the Great Physician. Let Him perform the surgery only He can do. Your part is surrender; His part is transformation.

This week, practice approaching God with a bowed heart before a busy mouth. Choose presence over performance. Let listening precede obedience.