Your reverence before God is the reverence of the spirit

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

Your reverence before God is the reverence of the spirit and also the reverence of the body.

As for the reverence of the body, it includes standing, kneeling and prostration; it would not surrender to standing in a lazy way, or to the devil who tries, during prayer time, to make your body feel tired, sick, exhausted or in need of sleep...!
There are those who, if they stand to pray, they feel tired, while they stand with friends for hours without feeling tired! Therefore, beware of this illusionary tiredness which is of the combats of the devil. Saint Bassilious the Great said:
“Do not use sickness as an excuse for not praying because prayer is a means of recovery from sickness.”
And as it was said by Mar Isaac, “If you start the pure prayer, be prepared for what will come on you”, which means be prepared for the wars of the devil as he tries to hinder you from prayer.
Reverence of the body is essential because the body shares in the feelings of the spirit and expresses them. So reverence of the spirit is expressed by reverence of the body. Slackness and carelessness of the spirit show also in the movements of the body such as having the senses busy with something else during prayer either the sight, the hearing... etc.!