Verses in God’s Word are alive, powerful, and divide between our soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12). It just makes sense to use God’s truths in our prayer life. They lead us to request forgiveness for our sinful decisions, express appreciation to Him for His many blessings, cry out to Him for help in our times of need, and to praise Him for who He is as well as His provision in our life.
An example of praying God’s Word is Colossians 2:6-7:
“Father God, thank You that You provided Your only begotten Son for our salvation, and for enabling us to humbly submit to Your plan of redemption. Teach us to walk in Your ways, to grow into spiritual maturity, and to express our gratitude to You for who You are and all that You do for us each moment of the day. In Jesus name and for Your glory. Amen.”
The book of Psalms is an excellent source for praying scripture. These are awesome verses that fit any prayer at any time: Psalm 103:8-17; Lamentations 3:22-24; Hebrews 13:5. They proclaim that God is always merciful to us, gracious in all His ways, steadfast in His love, and never leaves or forsakes us.
Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 when He prayed on the cross (Matthew 27:46). When we read verses about abiding in the Vine as His branches, we can imagine our self hanging out as a branch connected to the Vine of Christ and swaying in the gentle breezes as we follow His example in life and allow Him to bear His fruit in us (John 15:1-14).
Praying about our needs is fine, but we do not end our prayer session once we spout a litany of concerns and then run out into our overly scheduled day of activity. God’s Word admonishes us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-28). This allows us to consult the Lord for His will for each moment of our day (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Prayer:
Father God, You weigh our thoughts, words, and deeds. You humble the proud and give Your strength to those who trust in You alone. If we attempt to meet our own needs, You stand back and give us space, but if we come to You in our emptiness, You satisfy our longing and fill our hungry soul with goodness (1 Samuel 2:3-5; Psalm 107:9).
You may allow us to depart from this world and send our body to the grave, but then You make our soul and spirit eternally alive in Your physical presence and give us an incorruptible and immortal body. You decide while we still live on the earth our financial and social status, as well as the boundaries around our life. You consider the day of our death to be more special than the day of our birth because we arrive home to live with You for eternity (1 Samuel 2:6-7; Ecclesiastes 7:1).
Thoughts for the Day:
Using Biblical verses as the basis of our prayers prevents our mind from drifting to other issues as we pray, gives us confidence that we are praying according to the will of God (1 John 5:14-15), as well as gives us His anointed words to meditate on and to pray all through the day. When we pray in the power of the blood of Jesus, and in His precious name, God will answer us in His timing and way (1 John 5:14; John 14:3-14).
