 Each day as I read the scriptures, I am reminded that the words in the bible are living and active, and powerful when applied to our lives. Combining the words of scripture with prayer is ‘like tying two sticks of Dynamite together’ (I’ve heard Beth Moore say). The image implies that we are tying two powerful and impacting forces together when we pray scripture. If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself. And don’t just take my word for it.
Here are some more reasons to pray scripture: 1. God’s people in the OT and NT prayed scripture. For example: In the OT, when the Israelites confess their sins in Neh 9, the Levites lead the people in a prayer that was scripturally informed and quoted Scripture (Exod 34:6). They apply that Scripture to their specific context. In Acts 4 (in the NT) we read that the early church lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’ . . .” (Acts 4:24–26). Here they are quoting Ps 2:1–2 and applying that Scripture to their specific context. We can all learn to quote scripture in our prayers when appropriate to the situation. To do that, we need to read Scripture, correctly understand Scripture, meditate on Scripture, and then apply Scripture to our specific situation. God’s people have been doing that with the Psalms for thousands of years (even Jesus did that!). 2. Jesus prayed scripture. The Gospel’s according to both Matthew and Mark record that Jesus prayed to the Father when he was dying on the cross, saying: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34). That quotes the first line of Ps 22. Jesus was unique in fulfilling Scripture, but we can all learn to apply scripture to our specific situations in appropriate ways. 3. Praying scripture glorifies God the Father. Jesus told his disciples in John 15:7–8, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” When we pray Scripture, we demonstrate explicitly that Jesus’ words are remaining in us and when we internalize Jesus’ words, we will make scripturally informed requests, and God will answer them. 4. Praying Scripture helps us pray confidently. Since Scripture is entirely truthful, we can pray confidently when we pray Scripture. It’s firm ground. We don’t need to wonder, “Is this a good thing or a bad thing to pray?” Scripture expresses God’s will, God’s character, and God’s promises. So, if we are praying Scripture, we don’t need to worry about being self-deceived or praying self-focussed prayers like praying to becoming a billionaire overnight. Obviously, we need wisdom regarding how to pray Scripture with reference to specific people and circumstances, especially in light of Jesus’ extravagant promises about what we ask for with faith (see Matt 21:22; Mark 11:24), but praying Scripture helps us pray in line with God’s will when done appropriately. 5. Praying Scripture helps us understand Scripture better. When we pray Scripture, we must think carefully about what we are saying. In order to pray Scripture, we need to have an idea of what Scripture means in its context. The process of praying Scripture forces us to ask questions about Scripture that we might not ask if we were simply reading it. To apply scripture, you need to understand what it meant in its original context, and what significance that has for you now. 6. Praying scripture helps us focus on what is most important. We can so easily drift into praying lists of requests that concern mainly issues such as sickness or anxiety or money or wisdom for decision-making (and it’s good to pray for our needs and the needs of others), but what about praising God? And exulting in glorious truths about God and his world? And thanking God for specific blessings? And asking God to forgive us? Praying Scripture helps us do this and keeps our focus on what is most important. The above list of reasons to pray scripture is not exhaustive and this coming Sunday we will consider more on this topic. This will be the last message in our series on different kinds of prayer. This week I am praying for you using these words from Phil 1:9–11: This is our prayer: that our love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that we may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. Amen. Blessings, Rev Tanya
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