Praying the Scriptures

In his book, A Call to Spiritual Reformation, D. A. Carson says,

“Christians learn to pray by listening to those around them. Nothing is intrinsically bad about this. If we lived in a time and place where Christians were characterized by knowledgeable, anointed praying, it would be a wonderful privilege to learn from them. Sadly, although there are a few signs of resurgence, prayer in the West has fallen on hard times, and there are few models to hold up to a new generation of believers. Then how shall we reform our praying? Surely the best answer is to turn again to the prayers of the Bible. If every part of our lives is to be renewed and reformed by the Word of God, how much more should that be so of our praying? If our generation does not cast up many prayer warriors whose habits in prayer accurately reflect the standards of Scripture, it is all the more urgent that we return to the primary source. Then we shall learn afresh what to pray for, what arguments to use, what themes on which to focus, what passion is seemly, how these prayers fit into a larger Christian vision, how to maintain the centrality of God himself in our praying.”

If Carson is right - and I think he is - how do we go about making the Bible a central part of our prayers? How do we pray the Scriptures? The following is a handout I gave to our church's prayer team a little awhile that is an attempt to answer that question.

Praying the Scriptures

“Continue steadfastly in prayer”

Colossians 4:2

Praying the Scriptures make our prayers effective because they enable us to pray according to God’s will. That means that whenever we pray, we are seeking first his Kingdom (Matt 6:33). There is never a question of whether or not what we are praying for is his will to be done (1 John 5:14). This is a short guide on how to pray the Scriptures.


1. Read the Passage

You cannot pray over something you do not understand! Begin by reading the passage. Try to come to come to a good understanding of what it is saying. To help, think through the following questions:

< What does the passage teach us about God? God the Father, Jesus, his Son, or the Holy Spirit? Does it teach something about his nature or character? An action he has performed in the lives of his people?

< What does the passage teach us about our relationship with God? Is there a promise to believe, wisdom to embrace, an example to follow, a sin to avoid?


2. Meditate on the Passage

The point of mediation is to unite what you know in your head with what you feel in your heart. There are two ways to do this. The simpler way is ask yourself,

< If I really believed that this passage is saying, how would my life be different? What kind of change is required in my life?

< Why is God showing me this now? What is going on in my life that makes this so vital?


A more involved way of meditating over the passage is the method employed by Martin Luther. After you have read the passage, ask yourself,

< What is there in this passage to thank God for?

< What sin does this passage reveal in my heart that I must confess?

< What is there in passage that reminds me of what I can be thankful for in Christ?

< What does this passage reveal that I need in my life and should ask God for?



3. Pray over the Passage

Now you are ready to pray. Begin to turn the teaching of the passage into your prayers. Consider how the passage teaches you to better love God with all your mind, heart, soul, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. Pray for those things.