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What is your favorite prayer from Scripture? What is the value of praying God’s Word?
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1 John 5:14-15
Says that if people ask for something according to God’s will, God will hear them
Mark 11:24
Says that people should believe they will receive what they ask for when they pray
Matthew 7:7-8
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened
Matthew 7:7-8 is my favorite scripture to pray to the Lord, along with Romans 8:28: “All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” Praying using scripture is one of the most important aspects of prayer because, in that moment, we are praying the will of God and not our own. The word of God is His perfect will, inspired by His Holy Spirit. When we speak His word during prayer, it aligns with His will and teaches us what His perfect will is for our lives and how He feels about us. What is important to us becomes important to Him when we pray His word.
Praying scripture also opens our understanding of what is truly important, placing the flesh and its desires under subjection and allowing the Holy Spirit to rise up, align, and reconnect us to God’s divine purpose and plan for us and His people. Lastly, as I pray the words of those great men and women of God from the wonderful cloud of witnesses, I am reminded of what He has done for them. This builds and strengthens my faith, knowing that if He did it for them, He can and will do it for me. This keeps me hopeful, strengthens my faith, and humbles me, reminding me how favored and blessed I am to be able to pray and minister openly.
The disciples and the people in the Bible, even during brutal beatings, captivity, famine, and disease, remained steadfast in prayer, aligning themselves with the will of God. Despite the immense challenges they faced, they used prayer as the rock that upheld them during the lowest moments of their lives. Praying through such adversity for the glory of God demonstrates the power of prayer and its ability to sustain faith. Reflecting on their perseverance, it is a profound privilege to read and speak the word of God freely today, without persecution.
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Ephesians 1:17-19
This is a powerful example of intercessory prayer; it focuses on the spiritual insight of understanding God and His purpose for the Ephesian church about their lives. And serves as a guide for believers seeking deeper knowledge of God and His purpose for their lives too.
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“for You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written , every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with You.” Psalm 139:13-18.
I think the value of praying Scripture is that we know that it is a “pre-approved” example of what our own heartfelt prayers should sound like. The authenticity, the laments, the joy and thankfulness in prayer were all God-breathed inspiration written down by men that were filled with the Holy Spirit.
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psalms 51:10
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me”. I add so I can walk with transparency before you and not feel ashamed because of my sin.
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The Lord’s prayer, because is the model prayer that Jesus told us to pray. It encompasses everything and every situation.
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My favorite prayer would have to be Jesus before being taken away. His supplications, His pain, His LOVE and His willingness to proceed for us (for me). This speaks so deeply to me. I can it in my bones.