Praying Scripture is a great way to develop effective, God-centered prayers -- and there are quite a few ways to use Scripture as your guide. The previous post looked at using the Lord’s Prayer as inspiration. Today, you will look at how you can use your daily Bible reading as your starting point for prayer.

"Praying Scripture" by Mary Kassian

Do you ever get “stuck in a rut” in your prayer life? Praying Scripture will help. Praying Scripture is a method of prayer practiced by the early church. It involves reading, pondering, listening and praying God's Word:

1.  Read

Read the passage of Scripture slowly. Let’s use a passage from Psalm 1:1-2 for example:

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

2.  Reflect

Think about how to personalize the text and apply it to your own life. Take note of any particular verse or phrase that seems to be of particular importance. For instance, in the above verses you might take note of the word “Blessed” and “delight is in the law of the Lord.” You might want to think about where you are seeking happiness and delight. Do you delight in God’s Word?

3.  Resonate 

Respond to/agree with the passage by praying it back to God. Pray the words of the Scriptures, applying them to your life or circumstance. You could pray Psalm 1:12 in the following way:

“Lord, please help me not to walk according to the advice of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of scoffers. Help me find my happiness and delight in Your word, and to meditate on Your word all the time.” (Or, you could pray this as an intercessory prayer for your husband, children, or for a government official, church leader, or friend.)

4.  Receive

Prayer is a conversation with God. A conversation is a two-way process. So it’s helpful to take a moment to listen to what the Lord is saying back to you. In the above instance, the Lord might speak to you about an area of your life in which you are listening to the advice of the world instead of to His Word. 
 
Praying Scripture is one of the most effective ways to pray, because you know you’re praying according to the will of God. And He has promised, that when we pray according to His will, He hears and answers.

So here are my suggestions: 

• As you are reading Scripture, make a habit of praying Scripture. Use the method I outlined above.
• Write out specific Scripture verses to pray for yourself and/or for others. You could collect prayer verses for your husband on some loose-leaf pages and keep them in a section of a binder. Then, when you pray for him, you can turn to that part of the binder and pray through the verses.
• Pray Scripture whenever you can. If you are praying at a prayer meeting, open your Bible to a relevant verse and pray that verse. Let the Word of God direct your prayers.

Do you pray Scripture?