Could you use a boost in your praying? Do you feel like you pray endlessly, the same prayers, and get nowhere? How would it be if you prayed and always saw your prayers answered? Would it be possible for you to be elated and encouraged to go to God in prayer knowing you have what you are asking to receive?
It is possible to know you have what you ask for when you pray the scriptures. God’s Word, the Scriptures, are defined as sacred writings of Christianity contained in the Bible. There are 66 books that help you to pray. The 4th chapter in the first book of the Bible explains what prayer is . . .”men began to call on the name of the Lord”.
To call on the name of the Lord in prayer is to reach out for the reputation of God to have an effect on what you’re praying about. God tells His people to call to Him and He will show great and mighty things that are not even known to them. The magnificent things of God can only be known by reading of them in His Word. Conceiving of the bigger/better God desires is not possible without relying on His Word for what He’s done in the past and that He’ll do again in your life. It is by the hearing of the Word of God that brings faith. Boldness in prayer comes because we believe God’s Word and depend upon what it says.
God remembered is written multiple times in the Bible. Many of God’s mighty men reminded God of what He had said, His covenants and His promises. Reminding God in prayer of what He has said is not a new practice. God even reminded himself many times of what He had said in His Word. When you pray God’s Word, it is a reminder of the promises, fulfillment, and hope God offers for any of life’s hurtful and broken situations.
Jesus declared in prayer, “not my will but yours be done” and aligned himself with Psalm 40 which declared an adherence to doing the will of God as recorded in the book of God. It was the plan, purpose, and pleasure of God recorded in the Word of God that enabled Jesus to align His prayer life and do what was written “according to the scriptures”. The prayers of Jesus were always heard (John 11) because he always prayed according to the scriptures.
FIVE BENEFITS OF PRAYING THE SCRIPTURES
- The Scriptures give you words when you don’t know what to say or what you’re thinking. Using the Scriptures to help you pray ensures your thinking aligns with God’s thinking which is right thinking. When your mind is “blank” or “running with rapid thoughts”, fill it with the Scriptures which will help you form a right view and dependence on God.
- God’s Word shows the promises you can claim and provision you should expect. You can then be very direct and clear in your petitioning. Looking for the answer is easier and knowing when it arrives is more certain when you have the clarity in prayer the Scriptures offer.
- You have opportunity to compare and contrast your thoughts with God’s. When you pray the scriptures, you can hold your ideas up to God’s facts and determine any discrepancies. Then you can align your ideas with His revealed will to accomplish His plan, purpose, and pleasure.
- The requests you make to God are at times vain (empty) and stagnate (going nowhere). When you pray God’s Word, it is always accomplishing something and never returns unfulfilled.
- Praying God’s Word is speaking His language. When you speak His Word, it is learning to talk like Him. When you talk like Him, He recognizes you as His own and gladly answers your requests because they are according to His Word.
FIVE SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW TO PRAY GOD’S WORD
- Make it personal. Use a name or pronoun in a verse.
– Scripture: Isaiah 40:31 – Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weary. Prayer: Dear God, I am waiting for you to give me new strength. I am looking to you to help me fly above my circumstances and run without fainting. I need you to help me walk with strength. I wait on you, do this for me like you said you would do. Amen
– Scripture: Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Prayer: Dear God, I have a lot of difficult things in my life right now. (Tell God all the hard things you have going on right now.) I know I can go through all these hard times and get to the other side safely because you strengthen me. Help me to feel your strength today. Strengthen my hands to do the work necessary to go through. Strengthen my feet to keep walking through. Keep me strong in you because that is the only way I will do “all things”. Amen - Begin your prayer by declaring about God what God has declared about Himself in the Scriptures.
– Scripture: Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Prayer: Dear God, You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. You never change. The same way you helped the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace and Daniel in the lion’s den; help me today. I am depending on your unchanging character, word, and works. (Tell God all the “fiery furnaces” and “lion’s den” you are asking Him to be with you in and protect you from.)
– Scripture: Lamentations 3:22-23 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. Prayer: Dear God, it is only because of your great compassion that you do not give up on me. Your care for me is fresh and revived every morning. Your patient, helpful care of me is never stale, old, or outdated. (Tell God all the specific ways you need Him to show you compassion instead of allowing you to be “consumed” because of your falling short.) - Use “blessings” recorded in the Scriptures to pray over family and friends. . . and let it come forth with much meaning, assurance, and expectation.
– Scripture: Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” Prayer: Dear God, bless (child’s name) and protect them from everything that kills, steals, and destroys. Make your presence and your face to shine on (child’s name) and show favor to them. Enable (child’s name) to be lifted up by you and stand in perfect union with you reconciled to you through the blood of Jesus. Amen
– Scripture: Jude 1:24-25 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. Prayer: Dear God, you are the only one who can keep (relative’s/friend’s name) standing strong and blameless before you. Let your power, majesty and dominion be known forever because of your great salvation of (relative’s/friend’s name). Show (relative’s/friend’s name) how exceeding joyful you are to be their God and their Savior. May you, God, be glorified forever because you enabled (relative’s/friend’s name) to stand before you innocent because of the blood of Jesus shed on their behalf. Amen. - Ask for things others asked for in the Scriptures.
– Scripture: James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. Prayer: Dear God, I lack wisdom. I ask you to give me wisdom in full measure. Please do not find fault with me because I do not have the wisdom necessary to know you fully. Give me wisdom that is full and complete. Amen.
– Scripture: Psalm 119:32 I will run the course of Your commandments, for You shall enlarge my heart. Prayer: Make my heart larger. Enable me to run toward and in all your ways. Make my desires and wishes to line up with yours in energy and direction. Amen. - Use accounts told in the Bible or parables to help understand a situation and request an outcome that was presented in scripture.
– Scripture: Mark 2:1-12 – Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic (Summary – Four friends of a sick man dug a hole in the roof to lower the sick man before Jesus to be healed. Jesus healed the man and forgave him.) Prayer: God, (relative’s/friend’s name) is sick. They have a condition that is causing them pain and difficulty. (Tell Jesus all about their sickness.) I am brining (relative’s/friend’s name) to you because you are the only one who can heal them and make them well. Do this for them today. Amen
– Scripture: Luke 18:1-8 – The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Summary – Jesus told the story of a widow who kept daily coming to a worldly judge to request help. The worldly judge helped her because she kept coming persistently. Jesus explained that God would help even more quickly than the worldly judge so you should keep praying and not give up.) Prayer: Dear God, I have this great need. I come daily to bring it to you and ask for your help. Please help me with (explain the need). Amen.
One last encouragement to pray the scriptures . . . “whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Mark 11:24
Written By: Anne Gurley
