I believe deeply in prayer, but for a long time I didn\u2019t feel very \u201cgood\u201d at it. I want to pray prayers that reach into heaven and help bring it to earth, right here and now. But way too often as I pray I have felt distracted, inconsistent, ineffective. For years, prayer was full of \u201cshoulds\u201d that I never quite reached. I once made a free online resource called \u201cI Stink at Prayer.\u201d It was very popular \u2014 apparently I wasn\u2019t alone in my experience with prayer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t feel this way anymore, and it\u2019s thanks to a simple practice I\u2019ve adopted. There\u2019s a way I pray now that is not only powerful and effective but also feels fresh and adaptable every day. It\u2019s a type of prayer led by the Holy Spirit that starts inside the pages of the Bible.<\/strong> Prayer has become less about talking God through my daily list and more about speaking God\u2019s own words over the people, places, and things in my life and the world around me. I not only feel more aligned with the heart of God \u2014 but actually experience more answers to prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It happened when I started taking my prayers straight from the pages of the Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you open your Bible, you\u2019re not just reading ancient words \u2014 you\u2019re entering into a story<\/a> that God spoke long before you arrived on the scene. The events of this story are still unfolding, and He is the author. This makes the Word of God the perfect birthplace for your prayers, because what God determines will<\/em><\/strong> come to pass. He knows the beginning, the middle \u2014 and already foresees the end. The Holy Spirit uses the Bible to align your heart and mouth with the things God is already doing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible itself describes this connection beautifully:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs the rain and the snow come down from heaven\u2026 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire.<\/em>\u201d When you take God\u2019s words and speak them back to Him in prayer, you are participating in that work. His words are seeds, and your prayers are the watering. They don\u2019t return empty. They accomplish something as you speak the things God cares about over your people, places, and plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prayer like this goes way beyond personal comfort or requests \u2014 it\u2019s powerful kingdom participation<\/a>. When you pray through Scripture, you\u2019re joining God\u2019s mission to bring heaven to earth. You\u2019re praying His priorities, not just your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Too often we treat prayer as something separate from reading Scripture \u2014 something that comes before or after we close our Bibles. But what if prayer is the continuation of your Bible reading <\/strong>\u2014 the way you respond, process, and partner with God as you read?<\/p>\n\n\n\nPraying From the Word of God<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Isaiah 55:10\u201311<\/a> (NIV)<\/p>\n\n\n\nPrayer as Part of Your Bible Study<\/h2>\n\n\n\n