​Praying Scripture

This Biblical practice of prayer dates back to the earliest days of the church in Acts and serves as a critical reprieve in the midst of our busy week. It is a time of sharing needs, praising God for His faithfulness, looking into Scripture for edification, and spending time together praying for all that is before us as individuals and His church. Prayer is one of the most powerful aspects of our Christian lives and must remain a high priority of our church. God invites and expects all His children - regardless of their age, education, and resources to pray. That said, prayer can be hard! It can seem like a chore, and even become boring for some. We tend to say the same old things about the same old things. In his book, "Praying the Bible" Donald Whitney, a seminary professor who has his finger on an important topic, proposes the solution to the routine of saying the same things about the same old things is praying through a passage of Scripture, particularly, a psalm. For example - take Psalm 23. You read the first verse - "The Lord is my shepherd" and you pray something like this: "Lord, I thank you that you are my shepherd. You're a good shepherd. You have shepherded me all my life. And, great Shepherd, please shepherd my family today: guard them from the ways of the world; guide them into the ways of God. Lead them not into temptation; deliver them from evil. O great Shepherd, I pray for my children; cause them to be your sheep. May they love you as their Shepherd, as I do. And, Lord, please shepherd me in the decision that's before me about my future. Do I make that move, that change, or not? I also pray for the under-shepherds at the church. Please shepherd them as they shepherd us." And then you go onto the next line.. So what you're doing is taking words that originated in the heart and mind of God and circulating them through your heart and mind back to God. Press on! Pastor Brian Richard