One of the simplest ways to pray the Bible is to read a passage of scripture to God. Remember, prayer means talking to God. When you read to Him from the Bible, you are praying.
God gave us His Word to help, guide, and transform us and to show us how much He loves us. When you pray His Word back to Him, you are doing more than just reading words. You are acknowledging the truth of what He has told you. You are letting Him know that He matters to you. At the same time, you are acknowledging that you matter to Him. For folks who struggle with self-worth, that’s a biggie.
As you read God’s Word back to Him, you are interacting with the Holy Spirit. The Bible changes you, every time you read it, because the Holy Spirit is alive in God’s Word. But there’s a different kind of change going on when you read it in conversation with God. Your intentional interaction with Him immerses you in the Word, literally allowing it to wash over and through you, inside and out.
You’re also creating a deeper connection with God in that moment. Think about if you wrote a love letter to your child, and your child read it back to you. Imagine the wonder on their face and all those little but powerful expressions you would see, as they realized how special they are to you. It would just about leave you breathless and covered with chilly bumps (the good kind). That moment would stick with you too. You would I remember it, even the way you felt. How do you think God feels when you read His love letter back to Him?
Reading scripture to God can be helpful when you don’t know what to pray in a specific situation. You may find that as you read God’s Word back to Him, you are opening your heart to receive wisdom and insight from Him regarding that situation. Even if you don’t sense any revelation, you are still engaging with God regarding the situation you are praying about.
What if you can’t decide which section of scripture to pray about a situation? It really doesn’t matter. God knows your heart. He knows what’s troubling you, and He knows the desires He has placed in your heart. Praying His Word to Him connects your heart to His and opens your heart for Him to work in and through you. So, if you feel uncertain about where in the Bible to start praying, ask God to lead you to a section of scripture and then start praying those words to Him. Even if they don’t seem relevant to the situation, keep reading. It’s the start of a conversation.
Granted, you may open to a page that has a genealogy or that describes a battle between kings, and it seems to have no bearing at all on the situation you’re concerned about.
Well, those genealogies show you several things. They point to God’s larger plan for redemption and remind you that He finishes what He starts. They also show that specific names of people (i.e., you!) matter to Him, and that you are part of His family. That’s always comforting in every situation you might be facing.
As for the warring kings, what a great reminder that God is fighting for you, and if you are praying for someone else, He is fighting for them. How reassuring to remember God is more powerful than the biggest struggle you or a loved one are facing, and He gives wisdom in the midst of your struggle.
How awesome if you will read that battle passage to Him and then close with a “Thank You, God, that You are for me, and You are bigger than every obstacle I face. Amen.” Or close the genealogy passage with “Thank You, God, that each person matters to You. Thank You for redemption and that You finish what You start. I’m grateful to be part of Your family. Amen.”
While we are going to look at many different ways of praying the Bible, you can always come back to praying straight from scripture. You can’t go wrong speaking God’s Word to Him.
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From a book-in-progress: I’m sharing portions of this work here as they are written and refined, trusting God with the timing.
Adventures with God 