"Lighting the Fire"
Jotting – Week 11

Scripture Praying

“Tell Aunt Jane thank you,” we prompt our four-year-old. “Tell Caleb “Hitting hurts. I’d rather be your friend,’” we give words to a six-year-old. “Just tell them your dad says you have to come home now,” we provide a comfortable way out for a teenager.

When we pray, we sometimes struggle with words, sometimes don’t quite know how to ask or thank or praise; sometimes may not even know for what we should be praying. Our rote prayers may sound “childish,” our minds wander during prayer, or after five minutes of “trying to pray,” we heave a sigh of “I’m glad that’s over for today.”

Using Scripture to pray is one of the easiest–and the best ways to set our needs, our thoughts, our griefs and cares before God’s throne of grace. By substituting the pronoun “You” for “God,” personal pronouns “I” or “me,” or in lifting up others, using their names or “he” or “she”; “him” or “her,” Scripture itself becomes our prayer.

Do you want to praise God? Pray Psalm 8, 33, 96, or 148.
Do you want to remind Him of promises? Read Genesis 28:10-22, the story of run-away Jacob and pray Jacob’s prayer; pray Psalm 19; Romans 4; Ephesians 1.
Do you need reminding of God’s power? Pray David’s prayer in Psalm 18; God’s answer to Job in Job 38; the resurrection stories in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, or John 20.
Do you need to ask forgiveness for yourself? Pray Psalm 31 or 32 or the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6; forgiveness for the nation and others? Pray King Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 8.
Do you need strength for the day, to complete the tasks God gives? Pray Psalm 62, Isaiah 40:26-31, 2 Corinthians 12:9.
Do you need assurance of God’s love? Pray Isaiah 43:1-4 and Isaiah 53, and 1 John 3:1-3.
Do you need direction for your life? Pray Psalm 20, Isaiah 55:1-9, Jeremiah 29:11-14, and Philippians 4:1-7.
Do you want to choose righteousness over sin? Pray Isaiah 11:1-10 and Romans 6:12-13.
Do you want relief from worry? Pray Psalm 50:15, Matthew 6:25-34, and Philippians 4:6-7.
Do you need help resisting the devil? Pray Luke 4:1-12 and 1 Peter 5:6-11.
Do you need a thankful heart? Pray Psalm 105:1-8, Psalm 107; 2 Corinthians 2:14-15; Colossians 3:12-17.
Do you need to pray for others in the faith? Pray with St. Paul in Philippians 1:1-11, Colossians 1:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 1.
Do you want to pray for missionaries and those new in the faith? Pray Psalm 27, Isaiah 35 and 41:9, Luke 22:32, and Hebrews 12:12.

Use any of the psalms to pray aloud; in fact pray several aloud each day. Pray the prayers of David, of Solomon, of Hezikiah and Jehoshaphat. Pray the prayers of the prophets, of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel. Pray the prayers of Jesus and Paul, of Peter and John. Pray aloud the Lord’s Prayer. Repeat the 10 Commandments to know which ones you need to ask forgiveness for breaking.

Pray Scripture Aloud

I learned something this week. Prayer as a form of meditation, is defined in Strong’s Hebrew and Greek dictionaries “to muse pensively,” such as when Isaac went into the field to meditate in the evening (Genesis 24:63); but also to “imagine, meditate, mourn, roar, speak, study, talk, utter” as when God commanded Joshua as he was taking over the leadership of Israel: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it” (Joshua 1:8).

When we couple this with the command of the Lord to the people of Israel through Moses in Deuteronomy 6:1-9 regarding the observance of God’s commands and teaching them “diligently to your children,” we can see that the teaching came through speaking God’s Word aloud. Much of the teaching in ancient days was through recitation. No doubt Jesus Himself learned the history of Israel, the Psalms, the prophets, by saying them aloud. In teaching them to children, we can repeat words of praise, of thanksgiving, of supplication, of forgiveness, of intercession right from Scripture.

From Daily Devotions

Open your Bible. After you read your selected portion of Scripture for the day, choose verses to pray–for yourself, a neighbor, a relative, the Church, the nation. The Spirit will guide your praying; He will Himself utter prayers for you: “Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27).

Pray: Heavenly Father, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of Your  wisdom and Your knowledge! How unsearchable are Your judgments and Your ways past finding out! For who has known Your mind, Lord? Or who has become Your counselor? Or who has first given to You and expected that You would be repaid? For of You and through You and to You are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:33-36).

To learn more about praying Scripture, go to http://www.christianity.ca/faith/prayer/2003/11.000.html