Often we struggle with knowing how to pray. We set aside time to do so, and then after a few minutes of rattling through whatever requests that come to mind our mind then wanders to other things. We look at the time and realize we’ve been praying for a few minutes. Now what? Does it seem like you’re just praying the same thing every day?
If you’re a Christian, the Holy Spirit dwells within you. He works within you, helping you to desire talking to your Heavenly Father!
“In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13 ESV).
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26 ESV).
So why do we get stuck in a prayer rut? Sometimes it’s not a problem with you, but with your method. God’s Word provides you with a powerful tool to build a dynamic prayer life! Praying Scripture can help you break out of the rut and better connect with God in prayer.
Here’s the simple idea: Read through a passage of Scripture and pause at each verse to make it a prayer.
You can use this method with a chapter of the Bible you are already reading through in your reading plan or pray through one Psalm. Here’s a few more details:
- Don’t overcomplicate it! Read a line, pray what comes to mind.
- If you don’t understand the meaning of a verse, move on to the next one.
- Pray don’t interpret. Correctly interpreting the Bible is essential for your discipleship. This activity is different from Bible study, however. In this practice, your primary activity is prayer, not Bible study.
So, if you’re praying through a Psalm, simply read a verse and pause to talk to God about whatever it prompts. Then, read the next verse. If your mind wanders, read the verse again and move on. If you don’t understand a verse or nothing comes to mind to pray, move on to the next verse.
