DAY 21 – THE SECRET OF PRAYING THE SCRIPTURES
The Bible is a vast prayer book that offers suggestions for prayers. For a number of reasons, praying God’s word back to Him is effective. When we pray with God’s word on our lips, we know that our prayers are powerful and alive because God’s word is itself alive and active. Knowing that we are praying in accordance with God’s desire gives us more faith, and as a result, we start communicating with God in His word on a daily basis. Our prayer life is made more interesting and delightful by praying the Scriptures because it adds a creative and unexpected element. If you’ve never prayed the Scriptures, you’ll learn one of the most fantastic tricks for creating a relationship with God in your own space.
The full range of human expressions to God in prayer includes praise, thanksgiving, adoration, intercession, worship, supplication, shouts of joy, lifting of hands, bowing, respect, exaltation, close physical affection, repentance, surrender, dancing, mourning, contemplation, spiritual battle, prophecy, etc. It is better to begin with a psalm because the Bible encourages a variety of expressions in prayer.
Let’s use Psalm 84, using the major words or phrases in each verse as springboards for prayer. You take anywhere from one to ten minutes on each verse, and pray the themes of that verse back to God, calling on other portions of Scripture that come to mind according to the same theme. For example, in verse 1, you might reflect on how lovely God is and express your desire to dwell in His habitation. In verse 2, you might express your yearning for God and your willingness to be completely available to Him. In verse 3, you might express your desire to be continually in God’s presence and worship Him as your King. In verse 4, you might thank God for the blessing of dwelling in His house and articulate the purpose of your heart to offer sacrifices of praise to Him. In verse 5, you might express your dependence on God for strength and thank Him for the pathway He is showing you on your pilgrimage. Remember that these are just examples, and you can pray in any way that feels authentic to you. The key is to use the words and phrases of the psalm as a starting point for your conversation with God and to let the themes of the psalm shape your prayer.
Pray the Bible often so that it takes root in your soul, grows and expands your hearts, permeates your speech and deeds, and produces fruit that leads to eternal life. In order to pray in accordance with His will from His word in the power of the Holy Spirit, God has provided us with a way to avoid selfish, human-based, and pity-filled prayer.
