Praying According to the Word (Part 1)

Two weeks ago, I encouraged the church to pray “according to the Word.” And by according I was referring to “accord” in the sense of harmony, unity, and agreement. Most people say that they pray, but is it in harmony with what God has said in the Bible? 

1) Praying “According to” the Word. 

There are many examples in the Bible of people praying. There are also many places where we are instructed to pray. But for what does the Bible say we should pray? 

There are two ways that we can be instructed to pray in the Bible, either explicitly (directly instructed or commanded), or implicitly (indirectly taught, modeled through example). We should be able to observe the difference as we read.

Here is a list of some of the things about which the Bible says we should pray. I encourage you to read the list, taking time to look up the verses for yourselves. As you read them, ask yourself if this is explicit or implicit teaching on prayer. And as you work through the list, hopefully, you will be prompted to pray with new confidence!

• Pray for wisdom and guidance (2 Chron. 1:7-10; James 1:5-6; Jer. 42:1-6)
• Pray to confess our sin & ask for forgiveness (2 Chron. 6; Neh. 1:5-11; Dan. 9:3-19)
• Pray for mercy (Psalm 30:10; 55:1; 57:1;)
• Pray for the life of the king (Ezra 6:6-12; 1 Timothy 2:1-6)
• Pray for protection (Ezra 8:21; Psalm 86:1-3)
• Pray for the peace of Jerusalem & God’s people (Psalm 122:6; 1 Tim. 2:8)
• Pray for the city where you live [even in exile] (Jer. 29:7)
• Pray for those who persecute you (Matt. 5:43-45; Luke 6:27-29)
• Pray for those who are persecuted (Acts 12:5)
• When praying, forgive others first (Mark 11:24-25)
• Pray by thanking God for others (Rom. 1:8; 6:17; 1 Cor. 1:4; Phil. 1:3; Col. 1:3-5)
• Pray about temptation (Matt. 26:41-43; 6:13)
• Pray for other people’s faith to grow (Luke 22:32, John 17:9; Romans 10:1)
• Pray for the restoration of the faith of others (2 Cor. 13:9)
• Pray for spiritual growth & strength in others (Eph. 3:14; 2 Thess. 1:11-12; Phil. 1:9-11)
• Pray for effective ministry opportunities (Col 4:3; Philemon 4-6)
• Pray for the sick (Jeremiah 17:14; James 5:13-18)
• Pray about everything instead of being anxious (Phil. 4:5-7)

2) Pray-Reading the Scripture Itself

Sometimes I simply read a Bible passage and use it as a prompt for my prayer, and my conversation with God, usually with a lot of personal application.

I don’t do it all the time, but it allows for focused prayer that doesn’t start with my prayer list, but with God’s Word. It is loosely related to a very ancient Christian practice called Lectio Divina.

When my son was deployed in Afghanistan I wrote to him about this practice. After a prayer meeting, I was at home and was pray-reading (I usually do this as I walk and pray) through Proverbs 21 including v. 2-3,

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
    but the Lord weighs the heart.
To do righteousness and justice
    is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

So, after reading this passage I might pray something like this…

Dear Lord, you know that we are quick to justify our own actions, I am as susceptible to this as any and yet our view of what is right is not always accurate. We spin our motives and actions so often that we even fool ourselves. Yet Lord you weigh the heart. You know what is sincere and what is the puffed rice of self-deception. Jesus, search my heart and show me where I am fooling myself. May I hunger for a right relationship with you and others and to do what is at the least just. Show me where you want me to work for justice…who is oppressed and treated badly by the rationalization of others that you want me to defend and encourage? Lord, may my hunger for this be stronger than my hunger for lesser things that I would need to repent of later. To obey you out of a response of love is always better than offering a sacrifice later. O Lord, this is true in my own relationships as well. Loving and caring and seeking the good of the other is better than being selfish and then seeking to make up for it later. Yet Lord, you have weighed my heart and know how dependent I am on your perfect sacrifice on my behalf. Thank you. I ask for your power and love to live this out in a tangible and practical way today. Amen.

[and while I am reading and praying I listen for the leading of the Lord with a quieted and contemplative heart.]

Well, there you go…a glimpse into one of my prayer moments. This can be done with almost any passage that you are reading devotionally.

Before starting, take time to read the passage, answering basic questions about the context. It is good to know the answer to some basic questions such as,

• Who is speaking in this verse, and to whom? (Who is speaking affects how we respond—for example, is it Jesus or Judas? David or the devil?)
• What is the occasion? (For example, is it part of a religious celebration? Is it a prophetic warning for specific people at a specific point in history? Or is it a letter to a church addressing a specific problem they were having?)
• Is this part of a larger argument that shapes its meaning?

The following verses are from Psalm 119 and include the phrase “according to your…”. They deal with several different aspects of the life of faith. I encouraged the church to read them and then look up some of what the Bible says about that subject. I have included at least one supplementary passage for each one, just to get you started. Consider these passages and try pray-reading them. Let me know what you think!

119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure?

          By guarding it according to your word.

• We should check our ways for agreement with the word. What does the Bible say about our ways? See 2 Corinthians 4:1-2

119:25 My soul clings to the dust;

                    give me life according to your word!

• What kind of life does God’s word say that he gives? See John 10:10-11

119:28 My soul melts away for sorrow;

               strengthen me according to your word!

• What comfort for my sorrow is found there? See 2 Cor 1:3-7

119:41 Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,

               your salvation according to your promise…

• How strong is his love for us? See Ephesians 3:14-19

119:58 I entreat your favor with all my heart;

         be gracious to me according to your promise.

• Why should God be gracious to me? What can I expect of him? See Romans 8:31-32

119:65 You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord,

                                     according to your word.

• So how should we live and deal with others? See Colossians 3:15-17

119:107 I am severely afflicted;

    give me life, O Lord, according to your word!

• In our affliction where can we find hope? See 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 and Revelation 21:5-7

    

119:116    Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,

                  and let me not be put to shame in my hope!

• What can I learn from affliction and those times when I feel overwhelmed? See Romans 5:1-8; Romans 10:11; and 1 Peter 2:6.

119:124 Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love,

              and teach me your statutes. (Note: This is repeated 13 times in Psalm 119) 

• Are we willing to be taught by God? What should we do with what we learn? See Psalm 25 4-5 and 2 Timothy 2:1-3

119:169-170 Let my cry come before you, O Lord;

    give me understanding according to your word!

                   Let my plea come before you;
                       deliver me according to your word.

• How do I know God hears my prayer? See 1 John 5:13-15

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

I hope that this exercise was encouraging to you.

May we pray according to his powerful Word this week and always!