The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith
When You Pray The Word
Do you remember this fabled prayer form? “Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray my soul to heaven He’ll take…God bless mommy and daddy, brother and sister, Uncle Henry and Aunt Matilda.” I don’t remember using the first part of this child’s prayer when I was a child, but I do remember praying the meaningless piffle of the God-bless part. I can just imagine God stifling a yawn when I did.
In a conversation with God, there cannot be a lot of excitement, interest even, on God’s part in the half-hearted and non-specific utterances of someone who is almost asleep themselves. Prayer is an active exercise of our privilege as children of God to step into His very presence when we pray:
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith…” (Heb. 10:19-22a).
Scripture warns us, “But when you pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (Matthew 6:7). Instead, use Scripture in your prayers. Read or recite Bible passages back to God as part of your prayers. Using the Word of God in your prayers changes you and your prayers in these ways:
- You know you are praying in God’s will when you pray specific Scripture for people.
- The Word of God becomes more deeply ingrained within your own heart when you read or recite it back to God
- You increase understanding of both God and His Word in that you are verbally applying it to real-life and everyday situations.
- God’s Word cleanses and focuses your soul so that, when you use His Word in prayer, you are prepared to hear God speak to you as well.
- God’s Word is God’s promise. When you pray Scripture you are praying His promises and He will answer as He promised.
Finally, there are a number of prayers in the Bible that you can implement with regard to who or what you are praying about. Instead of uttering unthinking assertions when you pray, try using a prayer of Jesus or of His apostles from the Bible (for example, Matt. 6:9-13, 26:39; Luke 22:32; Acts 1:24, 4:24-30; Rom. 8:26; 2 Cor. 5:20b, 13:7; Phil. 1:9-12; Col. 1:9-12; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; 2 Thess. 3:1; 2 Tim.2:16). Then take it a step further by inserting the name of someone you are praying for into the context of that prayer. Other Scripture can also be used in prayer. For instance, when you pray for someone by name, you can connect your prayer for their salvation with Acts 16:31, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”
One of my favorite prayers in the Bible is Ephesians 3:14-21. Imagine what a powerful presence Christians would represent in the world if we were praying this for each other:
“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. [I pray] that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, length, depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
