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.
Isaiah 55:11
As followers of Jesus, we know we should pray. Prayer is an important part of our journey toward becoming more like him. And praying sounds easy in theory. It’s just sitting down for a conversation with God, right?
For most of us, the reality of praying is much more complicated. We’re bored or tired or distracted, or we don’t know what to say when we sit down to pray. Discouraged, we get up from the chair we sat in for two minutes, and we go about our lives. Then days or even weeks can pass before we try to pray again.
How are we supposed to have meaningful conversations with God when we don’t know where to begin or how to go deeper? Praying scripture—using God’s word as a guide for our prayers—might be a good place to start.
There are many reasons we might choose to practice praying scripture:
- God’s word is true, right, and powerful. He promises through the prophet Isaiah that he sends out his word and it always produces fruit (Isaiah 55:11). Praying God’s word aligns our hearts with his and does transformational work as we speak his words back to him.
- Praying God’s word offers guardrails for our prayers by giving our wandering hearts and minds something to focus on as we pray.
- God’s word can speak for us when we don’t know what to say. Too brokenhearted for words? The laments of Psalms can give voice to the deep ache. Filled with inexpressible awe and wonder? Consider Paul’s doxology at the end of Romans 11.
- Praying scripture anchors us when we feel adrift and alone. Followers of Jesus have been using God’s word to guide their prayers for centuries, and they continue to do the same all over the world today. Praying these prayers reminds us we are not alone in our struggles and worries and fears. God has never failed those who turn to him, and he isn’t about to start now.
I’m praying today that the God of hope fills you with all joy and peace as you trust him (Romans 15:13) and take steps toward being people transformed by prayer.
– Written by Kristen Pittman
Spiritual Disciplines
Praying Scripture
“The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.” Psalm 119:130
“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.” John 5:39-40
Jesus gives us many instructions for prayer in the New Testament. In addition to the examples of prayer he gives, we also have his example in pulling away from the disciples and crowds to pray. The use of Old Testament Scriptures in prayer was a practice of the early church.
The desire for this discipline allows God to shape our prayer life. It directs the content of prayers and opens our hearts to praying the prayers within the Bible. This practice helps us release our agenda in prayer and respond to God’s work revealed in scripture. The pace of praying through a passage slowly helps us listen to the Spirit.
The book of Psalms is a great book of very human prayers. Each psalm is full emotion in the rarest form straight to God. We find prayers that voice our fears, joys, sorrows, and anger. The prayers of scripture guide us to God, to his will, and to our surrender.
Try praying through a psalm this week as you pray. Walk slowly through the passage. Read through it several times. What stands out to you? Try praying through the same passage for several day
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