Are you in a rut with your prayers?
Are you actually bored when you pray?
Does your prayer life need a boost?
Well, if you have ever felt that way, you are not alone. Even before I started out in ministry back in 1985, I had heard many different kinds of prayers. I had watched how people approached prayer. I had listened to the words they used and the habits they formed.
And when I was in seminary, I will never forget one particular chapel service.
A mega-church pastor came to speak, and someone asked him how he structured his week. In his answer, he mentioned that every Saturday night he would sit down and write out his congregational prayer word for word.
I remember thinking, “Well, this man has a large ministry. Evidently, he knows what works. Maybe I should give that a try.”
So after I became a pastor, I started writing out my prayers word for word.
But there came a point when I began thinking to myself, “When I write out these prayers, it feels like I am trying to impress people. It feels like I am trying to get their approval so they will think, ‘That was a good prayer.’”
And then my thinking began to shift.
When I pray, I am supposed to be praying to God.
I am not there to win the admiration or applause of people. I am not to be a people-pleaser or an approval-seeker when I am praying.
So I scrapped the whole idea of writing out my prayers in that way.
You see, it is very easy to pray in a way that is more concerned with being heard by other people than with speaking to the One we are supposed to be addressing.
And that One, of course, is God himself.
Today, I want to share with you how scripture praying can refresh and strengthen your prayer life.
What Is Scripture Praying?
Scripture praying is just what it sounds like.
When you are praying, you are using the words of Scripture. You are taking what God has already said in his Word and bringing those truths back to him in prayer.
That does not mean you are mechanically reading Bible verses out loud and calling it prayer. It means you are letting Scripture shape the language, direction, and substance of your prayers.
For example, you might read a Psalm and then turn the words of that Psalm into your own prayer. You might read one of Paul’s prayers in the New Testament and use it to pray for your family, your church, or your own walk with the Lord.
Scripture praying helps you move beyond vague words and repeated phrases. It gives you language when your own words feel thin.
And when we use the words of Scripture, it can make all the difference in the world.
Scripture Praying Keeps Your Prayers Fresh
One reason scripture praying is so valuable is that it keeps your prayers fresh.
None of us wants to have a stale prayer life.
But what causes our prayers to become stale?
Often, it happens when we say the same things over and over again. We approach prayer like a ritual we just need to get through. It becomes a religious process rather than real communion with God.
Jesus addresses this in Matthew 6:7-8:
“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do,
for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
So do not be like them;
for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
In other words, do not just mindlessly babble along, saying the same things over and over again when you pray.
That does not lend itself to freshness.
Of course, in and of itself, repetition is not always wrong. There are times when we bring the same burden to the Lord again and again because it is still heavy on our hearts. There are times when a repeated phrase comes from real dependence on God.
But there is also a kind of repetition that becomes empty.
There is a kind of praying where the mouth is moving, but the heart has checked out.
Scripture praying can help you avoid that. It puts fresh words before your eyes. It gives your mind fresh truth to consider. It brings you into passages you may not have thought to pray through on your own.
Instead of praying only from your current mood, you begin praying from God’s Word.
That can bring freshness back into your prayer life.
Scripture Praying Keeps Your Prayers Biblical
A second reason scripture praying is so valuable is that it helps assure you that your prayers are biblical.
We want to have biblical prayers.
That is the way we ought to be praying.
Of course, most of us are familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he gave them a wonderful model:
“Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.”
— Matthew 6:9-10
The Lord’s Prayer is a fantastic prayer. It gives us insight into how we are to approach the throne of God.
But do you really think God only wants us to pray the Lord’s Prayer back to him over and over again?
If we used it that way, even the Lord’s Prayer could become meaningless repetition, which Jesus warns against.
So by all means, yes, we can incorporate the words Jesus gave us into our prayer life.
But why stop there?
There are 66 books in the Bible, and Scripture is full of wonderful spiritual truths we can incorporate into our prayers.
You can pray through the Psalms.
You can pray through the prayers of Paul.
You can pray through the promises of God.
You can pray through passages that reveal God’s character, expose sin, offer comfort, call for obedience, and strengthen faith.
That is what scripture praying does. It allows you to bring thoroughly scriptural prayers before the throne of God.
Scripture Praying Can Please the Heart of God
There is a third reason I would encourage you to consider scripture praying.
It may be the kind of prayer that puts a smile on God’s face.
It may be the kind of prayer that is like music to his ears.
The reason I say that is because of Psalm 138:2, where the psalmist says to God:
“You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.”
God’s name is extolled. It is exalted. It is magnified.
And yet that verse tells us that God magnifies his Word.
So I would think that when we are praying the words of Scripture, when we are using God’s own words as the substance of our prayers, that is pleasing to the Lord.
Think about it.
We are not coming to God with empty religious noise. We are not trying to impress him with flowery language. We are not trying to impress other people with how polished we sound.
We are taking what God has spoken and letting it shape how we speak back to him.
That is a beautiful thing.
How to Pray Scripture in a Simple Way
Maybe you are wondering, “How do I actually do this?”
Let me give you a simple way to begin.
First, choose a passage of Scripture. A Psalm is a great place to start because so many of the Psalms are already written in the language of prayer, praise, confession, sorrow, trust, and worship.
Second, read a few verses slowly. Do not rush. Let the words settle in your mind.
Third, turn the words of the passage into prayer.
If the verse speaks of God’s mercy, thank him for his mercy.
If the verse speaks of sin, confess where that sin may be present in your life.
If the verse speaks of fear, ask God to help you trust him.
If the verse speaks of God’s guidance, ask the Lord to lead you.
You do not need to make it complicated.
Read the Scripture.
Think about what it says.
Then pray it back to God in your own words.
How About Your Prayer Life?
How about you?
Are you in a rut with your prayers?
Have your prayers become stale?
Have you found yourself saying the same things over and over again without much thought, much attention, or much affection for the Lord?
Let me challenge you to begin praying Scripture.
Not so you can sound impressive.
Not so you can perform for anyone else.
But so your prayers can be fresh, biblical, and pleasing to the Lord.
In future posts, I want to model scripture praying for you. My desire is to walk through the Psalms one by one and show you how you can approach a passage of Scripture, read it carefully, and then move directly into prayer.
Not so you can mimic me.
Not so you can imitate every word.
But so you can see an example of how Scripture itself can help shape your prayers.
A Simple Way to Begin Today
Well, today we have considered three reasons scripture praying can strengthen your prayer life.
First, scripture praying keeps your prayers fresh.
Second, scripture praying keeps your prayers biblical.
Third, scripture praying can please the heart of God because God delights in his Word.
So here is a simple challenge.
Open to one Psalm today.
Read a few verses slowly.
Then turn those verses into prayer.
You may be surprised how quickly your prayer life begins to feel less stale and more alive.
And if you would like regular encouragement from Scripture, I would love to share my free devotional with you. It is designed to help you keep receiving strength from God’s Word day by day.
Until next time, may God grant you his strength for today.
