Camel knees

“Come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.”
-Psalm 95:6

Growing up, I often saw my father kneeling down in prayer—unaffected by what was happening around, or people. The frequency of these prayers increased during the time when my younger sister was undergoing treatment for cerebral palsy. Birth asphyxia, the doctors said; she was paralyzed for life. She lived for five years and two days—the time when our family came to the Lord. My parents struggled financially during this time, so much that my father decided to go to Yemen for a better earning in order to support the family. He never wanted to be away from the family but he took that step. Even on the day he was flying to Yemen, he got up, knelt down, and prayed—I knew a part of him was breaking as he prayed that prayer. He hated change, even the sound of it. So, moving to another country was a step that he took out of desperation. 

When my sister passed away, he stood strong throughout the funeral. But I found him the next day on his knees, crying out to God. I often wondered about the power of kneeling down in prayer—the power to provide strength, the power to heal pain, the power to comfort a broken heart. Inspired by my father, I began to kneel down in prayer, not every day though. Unlike him, I was always cautious of my surrounding; I never liked anyone seeing my pray. But every time I knelt down in prayer, I got up with strength. After a loss, after a failure, after a sickness, after a heartbreak— I always knelt down in prayer after. Sometimes, I wish I had knelt before. How I wish I had the consistency like that of Daniel who knelt three times a day in prayer.

Kneeling, in a sense, conveys humility. A sense of who we are and also, a sense of who God is. As a Christian writer quoted “Getting down on our knees tell us in a tangible way—through the posture of our bodies—that something different is occurring in our experience that requires something different from our bodies.”

James, Jesus’ brother, is the best example of kneeling down in prayer. He has been called James, the Just by all from the time of our Saviour to the present day. Only he was permitted to enter into the holy place—he wore not woolen but linen garments. He was frequently found on his knees begging forgiveness for the people, so his knees had become hard like those of a camel.

Here is a creative rendition of James’ story from the Bible.

The Unspoken Letter

Dear James,

I have always wanted to talk to you but I couldn’t; I was always close by but never made my presence felt. I was there that day when the light khaki curtains danced as the early autumn wind sang to it and broke the silence in the room. I saw you in the dim-lit room as you kept on shifting your body on the uneven mattress and the atmosphere contained the uneasiness that you exhaled. You kept on crying out your brother’s name in your sleep and you fell on me, letting out a scream. I was terrified and wanted to ask you about your bad dream, but I didn’t. 

A large drop of sweat trickled down your forehead and fell on me but I did not mind catching it. I had never seen you so shattered; and suddenly the autumn wind, the dancing curtains, none of it really mattered. I knew that I would be able to hear from you about what was going on, but the fact that you weren’t really talking to me never bothered me. As you cried out for forgiveness, I saw you broken, remorseful and ashamed of yourself for being an inefficient brother. Suddenly an unexplainable peace broke into the disturbing atmosphere of the room as you prayed and there, you slept like a baby. I wanted to know what God said to you that made you calm. You got up early the next morning as you had to take care of some things related to the bereavement. I saw pain in your eyes but there was also so much of peace inside of you like you had a hope that something radical is about to happen.

I hardly saw you the next two days and I wondered where you were. You came in on the third day like a king who won the battle; with your head held high and that sunshine-like smile. There was so much happiness inside of you as you ran in to pick your best robe. I was curious to know what the cause of the celebration was but you were in a hurry to leave. When you came back with Peter that evening, I heard you say something about your brother being alive and I was stupefied as I thought, ‘How can a man who died, come back to life, days after his burial?’

 I used to eavesdrop every time you talk to God; how can you expect me not to when you are so close to me during every conversation. I heard everything that you said to Him and I was always curious about what He said back to you. Then it reached a point when you were always praying like it was your oxygen. 

Soon, I noticed callouses on your knees and felt uncomfortable every time it touched me. You kept crying out for others as you bowed down to pray but you had a smile on your face every time you got up after prayer. What did God tell you when you prayed? Does He know that your friends make fun of your knees calling them ‘Camel knees’? I never got answers for these questions but I understood one thing that, God always made you happy and every time you bowed down, you were actually being lifted up in your spirit. 

I came to know about your death when some of your people came to get your garments. I heard them say that you were thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple and were beaten to death with a club. They called you a martyr. Didn’t your camel knees help you, James? Some were saying that you went to join your brother, Jesus, in heaven; I am sure you are happy there. As for me, I am still here waiting to feel another pair of camel knees and to hear another conversation with God.

Love,

Your Bedroom Floor

Although I called it a creative rendition, there is something about this unspoken letter that urges me to get on my knees every time I read it. Uncomfortable, maybe, but it is this posture that truly reflects how dependent we are on God.

James’ life sure does seem like a rocky road. Nonetheless, the adjective attached to his name to this date is ‘Just’. He endured and he never stopped interceding before God on behalf of other people—this is nothing but divine, something which he could have done only if he had God’s love inside of him. His dedication and consistency in prayer, the callouses on his knees and boldness in ministry definitely teach us the power he drew from praying on his knees. Surely, it is when we bow down, that we get to look up to God. 
Get on your knees, lay all your worries, fears and pain at the feet of Jesus and get up strengthened in the Lord. Fall facedown before God and may His grace help you to chin up as you fight your daily battles.