Biblical Prayer
One of the most beautiful forms of prayer I have experienced is using Scripture to commune and draw near to God. It is also one of the best ways to use biblical knowledge in an effective and transforming way. In the precious moments spent in prayer with God, nothing could be more practical or powerful as using His Word, His inspired, breathed Word in prayer to make requests and praise Him.
Praying God’s Word is a chance to reap the fruit of diligent study, quiet meditation, and faithful memorization all combined to create a powerful tool and an invitation to intimacy with the living God.
Personally, this discipline is a delight and an amazing instrument in taking God’s Word to my heart. When I don’t know where to begin, what to say, or even how I feel, God’s Word is a faithful guide into prayer time. Open up to Psalms and pray the writings of King David. Take your memory verses and turn them into prayers to your God. Read the prayers recorded in the Epistles to intercede for family and friends. The possibilities are endless and the power is as fresh and real today as it was a thousand years ago.
If this discipline is a totally new concept to you, I encourage you to invest in Beth Moore’s Praying God’s Word. It is a great way to start cultivating this discipline. She takes Scripture and formats them into prayers organized into different categories for quick access. I have really enjoyed reading and rereading through her book.
But you don’t need any book to help you master biblical prayer except the Bible itself. Start in the book of Psalms and begin turning verses into prayer. Listen to this prayer based on Psalms 1:1-2, “Dear Father, You have said blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of scoffers. God, help me not to listen to worldly counsel but affirm my paths by Your Word. Protect me from walking down the sinner’s path, but instead to diligently choose the narrow Way that leads to life. Keep my tongue from scornful talk; no gossip or criticism, but rather edification and grace. Help me never to delight in such sins, but to delight in Your Word and meditate on day and night.”
This is just a small example of prayer derived from the first two verses in Psalms. You can keep reading and keep praying as God leads. It is powerful! And you know you are praying according to God’s will because it is His own Words.
Similar Posts:
- Sweet Hour of Prayer, Part 2
- A Mind of Meditation
- Sweet Hour of Prayer, Part 1
- Exhausted, but Renewed
Filed under: Devotional Life, Scripture on August 7th, 2008
I'm Kaysie, 22. Jesus follower. Lover of sunshine, trees, hot tea, books, music, family, the gospel, poetry and Barnes and Nobles. Has a weird obsession with paper. Over-analyzes almost everything. Adores simplicity. Lucky for you. 
Kaysie,
Another convicting and oh-so-encouraging post…I am lax in both prayer and in Scripture memorization, and this post has encouraged me to start practicing both more diligiently. And wow, praying Scripture is powerful! Just the example you gave is so powerful…it actually touches on two areas I’ve been thinking about/working on lately!
Thanks!
Haha, my family and I talked about this recently (today or yesterday I think
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Great post, Kaysie!
My family and I love to pray through a Psalm after family worship every day in much the same way you showed in your example! Dr. Donald Whitney has an excellent book, “Spiritual Disciplines,” where he talks about prayer. He has a “Psalm of the Day” trick to make picking a Psalm to pray from easier.
Let’s say today is the fifth; to find the five Psalms, you’d add thirty to five -so the Psalms of the day are five, thirty-five, sixty-five, ninety-five, etc., and we pick one of the five to pray, each taking a verse and praying whatever comes to mind. It’s something my brother Eliah (4) looks forward to every day -he loves to “pray his verse.”
Thank you again!
Kaysie, this is an excellent idea! In the psalms there are some very beautiful passages to turn into prayers. I can think of so many passages in the New Testament epistles too. I’m so excited to incorporate this into my prayer life!
Oh yes, I love to pray with psalms – they are so real and often put to words what I want to say but can’t quite find the words.
Thank you for this post. I think that by now you’ve figured out that I’m quite confused and not sure what to do or where to go. This post provided a lot of much needed guidance. I’ll have to check out Moore’s book. It sounds pretty helpful.
I’ve really been finding the blessing in praying God’s Word. It’s evidence that I’m hiding His Word in my heart.