Need a New Way to Pray?
Friends! I pray today finds you well along with your family. I’ve gotten to where I don’t even want to turn on the nightly news to hear further COVID-19 reports. We simply can’t pray hard enough or long enough...not just for ourselves, but for all the first responders, the docs and nurses, etc.
Many moons ago when our youngest son was in the fifth grade, his teacher called upon us parents to come into class, taking turns, and teach the students a Scripture verse.
I found an easy, two-word verse to teach them:
I taught them about “arrow prayers,” those aimed heavenward, all throughout the day. We also discussed that seeing an ambulance on the road can serve as an immediate reminder to pray for the patient being transported. Likewise today, with our news and multiple ambulances employed, more patients than we can handle, may we “pray continually.”
And speaking of prayer, since we all have some time on our hands, allow me to tell you of a new (to me) way to pray.
Right down the street from where we live lies the beautiful Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS). It boasts a plethora of brilliant professors, many of whom have authored several books.
By God’s grace, a book arrived in the mail for John and me recently from SBTS and because it was so small, and likely a quick read (so deep, I know), I dove in!
The book?
Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney
Don cuts to the chase by asking great questions:
“Why don’t people pray more?”
“Why don’t people enjoy prayer more?”
John Piper offers, “If I try to pray for people or events without having the Word in front of me guiding my prayers, then several negative things happen. One is that I tend to be very repetitive...I just pray the same things all the time. Another negative thing is that my mind tends to wander.”
Can you relate? Boy, I sure can. Don contends we may very well be plain ole’ bored. Then he reveals the antidote to our prayer woes lies in the Bible. He says, “Pulsing within us is the ever-fresh, ever-green work of the Holy Spirit manifested in every person in whom He dwells...”
Don suggests we begin by praying thru’ the Psalms. Once comfortable with them, we may venture out into other books of the Bible. His book is loaded with wonderful examples for us. He opens with a psalm that’s familiar to all of us, the 23rd Psalm. With the first verse, “The Lord is my shepherd,” he suggests we pray something like this:
You see how many facets a shepherd, much less our Good and Great Shepherd can have.
Let me show you one more example. From verse 3, “He restores my soul,” (We all need restoration, refreshing, right now, don’t we???), try this:
Don teaches us we can keep going, verse by verse, like this until we either run out of time or run out of a psalm. Pick another psalm to continue. He inspires us with, “By so doing, you never run out of anything to say, and, best of all, you never again say the same old things about the same old things.”
He reminds us (I’d NEVER thought about this in this way before.), “So basically 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.” Friends, stop and take this in: So from our trying this method, Don assures us, “His words become the wings of your prayers.” WOW!
In the back of the book there’s a “Psalms of the Day” chart for suggested praying thru’ the psalms. There are 150 total, and our author suggests trying to do five psalms a day, reaching 150 by month’s end. I’ve tried this a little... Personally, I found that five was too many for me. I preferred going slower, really letting the verses sink in and trying to figure out how to apply it in my own life and for our family.
Don’s a real math whiz, too, as the chart suggests you begin w/Psalm 1, then add 30 (here we go!) and do Psalm 31, add 30 more (my brain is starting to hurt) and do Psalm 61, plus 30 more to reach Psalm 91, plus 30 more and stop at Psalm 121. Clear as mud?
So for instance, I’m writing this on April 2nd, so for today I’d do Psalms 2, 32, 62, 92, and 112. But as I said, this became too much for me. Try it for yourself and see what you prefer.
Now sometimes, of course, you’ll run into verses that either don’t make sense, or don’t apply. Don’t force it! Just move on.
Another benefit of praying Scripture comes from Joni Eareckson Tada in her book, Speaking God’s Language: Using the Word of God in Your Prayers. She says,
“When we bring God’s Word directly into our praying, we are bringing God’s power into our praying...God’s Word is living, and so it infuses our prayers with life and vitality. God’s Word is also active, injecting energy and power into our prayer.”
Hebrews 4:12 is proof:
Our Lord even said, “The WORDS I have spoken to you are SPIRIT and LIFE.” (John 6:63b)
Try this little exercise this week and see if you like it. I have yet another fun “show and tell” for you next week. It’ll give you another idea on the topic of prayer.
Stay safe out there—‘til next time!
P.S. Praying the Bible also has a companion App, Five Psalms, which, along with many other features, opens automatically to the first Psalm of the Day and allows you to swipe to see the other four (available in iOS and Android).
On Tuesday’s and Thursday’s, you can also watch Don praying through one of the Psalms of the Day on Twitter and Facebook (Follow @SBTS on Twitter or The Southern Baptist Seminary on Facebook). Click here to see the Psalm of the Day for April 23rd on Twitter.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the page above are “affiliate links.”