Praying Scripture
Do you ever pray using the words of the Bible?
Verse of the Day
“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
Today’s Devotional
A few days ago, I admitted that there are times when I have no idea what to say in prayer. When a child is first learning to talk, what do they do? They mimic or repeat what others are saying. As I have been reading several books on prayer, several of the authors conclude each chapter with written prayers. Each time I read one of these prayers, my thought is, “Yes, God! What he just said! Ditto.”
Just like there is power in echoing the prayers of others, there is power in simply praying Scripture. I had an example of this happen to me. I had been praying that God would allow me to know Him more. I prayed it one morning before I did any of my reading, praying, or studying for that day. My church was doing a Bible reading plan, and that day’s reading was Exodus 34. Do you know what is in Exodus 34? I believe it is the first time in Scripture where God describes His own character. Here’s what it says:
‘The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.”’ (Exodus 34:6-7a)
God was answering my prayer to know Him more by showing me His character in His own words from the book of Exodus. How amazing is that?
I can then turn this into a prayer: “Father, thank you for wanting me to know You. You are truly my God. You are compassionate and merciful. You are slow to anger and full of unfailing love and faithfulness. You lavish your love on all of us, even though we don’t deserve it. You forgive me when I mess up. Help me to focus on You today by seeing evidence of Your character all around me today.”
To pray from God’s Word, I must be reading God’s Word. I am learning that this is a great way to pray. And God showed me that the Word can be an answer to my prayers. God used His Word to remind me about who He is.
Today’s verses are words from God through the prophet Isaiah. God is reminding us that His word is as vital to our lives as the rain is for crops. God’s word always produces fruit. So if I want a fruitful prayer life, praying scripture seems like a wise thing to do. Here are some examples to get you started:
A prayer to dwell on God’s knowledge of you: Psalm 139
Asking God to help you walk with Him: Psalm 119:33-40
A prayer of praise: Psalm 71:15-24 or Psalm 100
A prayer of worship and adoration: Psalm 148 or Psalm 95
A prayer for intimacy with God: Psalm 63
A prayer during difficulties: Psalm 46
A prayer of confession and repentance: Psalm 51
A prayer for God to be your comfort: Psalm 91
A prayer for God’s help: Psalm 121
A prayer for encouragement: Psalm 23
A prayer of longing for God: Psalm 42
A prayer of lament: Psalm 6
A prayer when God seems distant: Psalm 13 or Psalm 22