PRAYING
THROUGH SCRIPTURE
I.
What is wrong
with our prayers?
We say
the same old things about the same old things.
II.
What should we do
to change our prayers?
Pray
through Scripture.
III.
What is praying
through Scripture?
Take a passage of Scripture & let
it suggest, inform & shape your prayer.
IV.
How can we pray
through Scripture?
A.
Select a passage
1.
Psalms – Psalms
of the Day (Today: 16, 46, 76, 106, 136)
2.
NT Epistles –
very specific requests (cf. D. A. Carson’s book on praying through Paul’s
epistles, A Call to Spiritual Reformation)
3.
Narrative
passages – be sure to back up and get the main idea
B.
Pray
1.
Use the very
words of Scripture, applying them to your requests.
2.
Go through the
passage consecutively.
3.
Pray until you complete
the passage or until you are out of time.
**At this point, choose a passage of Scripture
(preferably a Psalm) and stop to pray through it (for 15-20 minutes, if
possible, but even 5 minutes is profitable).
When resuming this study, list the benefits revealed by the experience
of praying Scripture.**
V.
Why should we
pray through Scripture?
A.
Benefits
1.
__________________________________________
2.
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3.
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4.
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5.
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6.
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7.
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8.
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9.
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B.
Biblical
precedent: Jesus and the apostles used
the Scripture in their prayers and may have prayed through it.
1.
Jesus (Matthew
27:46/Psalm 22:1; Luke
2.
Apostles (Acts
C.
Historical
precedent – George Müller’s example
VI.
Will you pray
through Scripture? When will you begin?
This document is posted here
with the permission of Dr. Donald S. Whitney.
This material is adapted by Doug Smith
from class notes taken in Dr. Whitney’s Biblical Spirituality class,
For more
information about praying through Scripture, please see
Donald S.
Whitney, Simplify Your Spiritual Life:
Spiritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed
(