How to Pray Scripture
1. Pick out a scripture.
Find scriptures that speak to you. (Can you stop reading and go find one right now?)
2. Make it personal.
Personalize it by substituting “I” and by addressing God directly, instead of as “He.” For example, Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” You can pray that back to God by saying, “I will seek You, Lord, while You may be found; I will call upon You while You are near.”
3. Write it down.
Put a few in writing so you can pray more directly instead of converting in your head on the fly. Keep a notebook or a document on your computer with several scripture prayers you can automatically turn to.
4. Say it aloud.
You may find it helpful to say these prayers aloud. There’s something about hearing your own voice repeating God’s truths to Him that makes them even more real.
Helpful Scriptures to Pray
1. Psalms
It’s easy to begin with Psalms. Many are already in the form of prayers. As you read them, address them to God. Psalm 16, Psalm 27, Psalm 139, and Psalm 145 are good ones to start with.
2. Jesus’ example
Jesus was the master prayer. The example He gave His disciples to pray—including us—is in Matthew 6:9-13 and John 17.
3. Other Bible prayers
By substituting their specific circumstances with yours, you can adapt the principles in prayers found throughout the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17), including King Solomon’s prayer at the temple dedication (1 Kings 8:22-30), King Hezekiah’s prayer of deliverance from enemies (2 Kings 19:15-19), Elijah’s prayer for God to reveal Himself at Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:36-37), as well as the apostle Paul’s prayers in the epistles, including Ephesians 1:15-23, Ephesians 3:14-21, and Colossians 1:9-12.
4. Favorite scriptures
But don’t limit yourself to scriptures already clearly articulated as prayers. Do you have a favorite Bible verse that proclaims truths or promises? Be careful not to take it out of context, but if it does apply, let God know you believe His words by exclaiming them back to Him.
5. Prayer books
You may already have a favorite book (please share below!); many are available straight from scripture. Check out the compilations by Kenneth Boa in his Face to Face books: Vol 1: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship, and Vol. 2: Praying the Scriptures for Spiritual Growth.
1. Psalms
It’s easy to begin with Psalms. Many are already in the form of prayers. As you read them, address them to God. Psalm 16, Psalm 27, Psalm 139, and Psalm 145 are good ones to start with.
2. Jesus’ example
Jesus was the master prayer. The example He gave His disciples to pray—including us—is in Matthew 6:9-13 and John 17.
3. Other Bible prayers
By substituting their specific circumstances with yours, you can adapt the principles in prayers found throughout the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17), including King Solomon’s prayer at the temple dedication (1 Kings 8:22-30), King Hezekiah’s prayer of deliverance from enemies (2 Kings 19:15-19), Elijah’s prayer for God to reveal Himself at Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:36-37), as well as the apostle Paul’s prayers in the epistles, including Ephesians 1:15-23, Ephesians 3:14-21, and Colossians 1:9-12.
4. Favorite scriptures
But don’t limit yourself to scriptures already clearly articulated as prayers. Do you have a favorite Bible verse that proclaims truths or promises? Be careful not to take it out of context, but if it does apply, let God know you believe His words by exclaiming them back to Him.
5. Prayer books
You may already have a favorite book (please share below!); many are available straight from scripture. Check out the compilations by Kenneth Boa in his Face to Face books: Vol 1: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship, and Vol. 2: Praying the Scriptures for Spiritual Growth.
Have fun praying Scripture. Share your own ideas and experiences of Praying Scripture below...
I like praying Psalm 63:1-4 in the morning. Psalm 63:6-7 is good for praying at bedtime.
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