PRAYING THE SCRIPTURES

[Michael]

PRAYING SCRIPTURE

One of the more powerful forms of prayer is to take scriptural commands, promises, or principles that are specifically for you today and pray them back to the Lord. In this way you know you are praying according to His will and that He will answer (I John 5:13-14).

This can be done in several ways, three of which are mentioned here with samples.

Pray Specific Verse to God

This would be easy to do during your quiet time when you come across a verse that is meaningful to you. For example, when you read Psalm 55:22, "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall," you may want to pray:

Lord, help me to always give You all my problems and cares. Please remind me to do so whenever problems come. Are there any problems or cares I need to turn over to You right now that I've been holding on to? Thank you that you do sustain me and will not let me fall. Many times I have seen You do this. What a good God You are!

Pray Passage of Scripture

You will find that the prayers of Paul in Ephesians 1:17-19, Philippians 1:9-11, Colossians 1:9-12, and of others, and David in Psalms are excellent.

An example of this could be from Psalm 103. Read verse 1, "Bless the Lord, O my soul:and all that is within me, bless His holy name"(NASB). Then pray:

Father, I do bless Your Holy name. You are worthy of all praise and honor. Thank You for sending Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior.

Then read verse 2, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits"(NASB). Pray:

Thank You, Lord, for all the blessings You give to Your children. How I thank You for the privilege of coming to You in prayer at any time. Thank You for letting me live in a land where I am free to worship You. Please be with those who love You and do not have such a privilege. Encourage them and strengthen them to be able to withstand all the pressures that are put on them to compromise their faith. Please meet their daily needs as You've promised You will.

Continue on until you get to the end of the psalm.

Pray Theme Scriptures

This type of praying is very appropriate when you have an ongoing concern or often find yourself praying for the type of request in the theme. This might focus on such topics as finances, fear, desirable character qualities, salvation, or troubles. You will need to do a little scriptural research to find appropriate verses and link them together in prayer. A concordance or Nave's Topical Bible is very helpful in finding the best verses. Write them all out, and put them together in a logical sequence to use in intercession.

(from "Power House" by Glen Martin & Dian Ginter)

[Michael]

PRAY THE SCRIPTURES FOR A PARTICULAR PROBLEM

* ANGER
* COMFORT
* FEAR
* HOPE
* LONELINESS
* NEEDS MET
* PEACE
* PROTECTION
* RIGHTEOUSNESS
* PRAYER
* WHEN TIMES ARE HARD
* GUIDANCE


ANGER

PROVERBS 16:32

He that is slow to anger is better that the mighty; and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city.

JAMES 1:19

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

EPHESIANS 4:26, 31, 32

Be angry and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.

COMFORT

JOHN 14:16-18

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; who the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, nor knows him: but you know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

JOHN 14:1

Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me.

JOHN 16:33

These things I have spoken to you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

FEAR

II TIMOTHY 1:7

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

PROVERBS 3:24

When you lie down, you should not be afraid: yes, you shall lie down, and your sleep shall be sweet.

ISAIAH 12:2

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

HOPE

PSALMS 31:24

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all you that hope in the Lord.

PSALMS 33:18,22

Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy, let mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in you.

PROVERBS 10:28

The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

LONELINESS

HEBREWS 13:5

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have; for He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.

PROVERBS 18:24

A man that has friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

PROVERBS 3:5,6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

NEEDS MET

PHILIPPIANS 4:19

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

PSALMS 34:10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.

MATTHEW 6:31-33

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

PEACE

JOHN 14:27

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

COLOSSIANS 3:15

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also you are called in one body; and be thankful.

PSALMS 29:11

The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.

PROTECTION

LUKE 10:19

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions,and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

JAMES 4:7

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

PROVERBS 16:7

When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

RIGHTEOUSNESS

PSALMS 34:15

The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

PSALMS 92:12

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

PROVERBS 15:19

The way fo the slothful man is as a hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is make plain.

PRAYER

MARK 11:24

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.

I CHRONICLES 16:11

Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.

JEREMIAH 29:13

And you shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all you heart.

LUKE 18:1

And he spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought to always pray, and not to faint.

JOHN 15:7

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.

MATTHEW 7:7-11

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if him son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

WHEN TIMES ARE HARD

PSALM 138:7,8

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures for ever— do not abandon the works of your hands.

PSALM 94:17-19

Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.

PSALM 18:1,2

I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

GUIDANCE

PSALM 32:6-8

Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding-place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

PSALM 27:1,14

The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.