Praying Scripture

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    Do you ever struggle to know what to pray?  I do. God hears our heart. We can pour out our feelings to Him. Praise God for His Spirit who takes our feeble words and thoughts and brings them to the Father. However, there are many times when words fail to come. What do I pray when I don't have a clue what God's will for this situation or person may entail?

    Something that I have been challenged to learn lately is to pray Scripture.  What a blessing this is!  First, this requires me to be reading His Word. I must be familiar with Scripture. Time spent in God's Word is always a blessing. I learn of my Savior as I am searching. 

   Next, I have great confidence that my heart and spirit are aligned with His will when I am praying the Words of God. So much of the Bible is the records of the prayers and heart-cries of Christ, or types of Christ. He is our model in all things, including prayer. 

  How does this work?  Here is a short demonstration.  I am learning this too, so this is far from perfect, and you can modify this as you need. As you practice, this becomes more comfortable and natural. 

Ephesians 4:1-6 says:

Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit -- just as you were called to one hope at your calling-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. 

Now, consider any words or phrases that stand out to you in this passage.  Try to think through what it is saying. Summarize it. Meditate on it. Think about what the passage teaches us about God Himself. What does it tell us about prayer?  Then, pray. 

Here is my example from this passage. 

Lord, today I pray for our church. May each of us walk worthy of your calling today. May they do this in humility and gentleness, with patience. May we all seek to bear with one another in love and make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Thank you that we are all unified in your Spirit. You have called us and made us one with you, Lord. We have one Lord -- you, Father. You are Lord and Father of all. You reign and are above all things.  You are in control of all things. Thank you, Father. Amen. 

Today if you are struggling to find the words to pray, look to God's Word. Talk to God with His own Words. This is not a requirement or something that makes a person Holy. It is simply a tool that leads us to the Word. 

Heather Sparks

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