Praying the Scriptures: Matthew 6:5-15

This section is a bit bigger than just the Lord's Prayer, because Jesus took the time before and after the prayer to give further instructions on prayer. 

Prayer

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

    on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

    as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from the evil one.’

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Pray the Scriptures: Ephesians 3:16-20

Advent is the start of the church year and therefore the start of my new Bible reading plan. This year, as I read through the Bible, I want to note and pray the prayers of the Bible.

Ephesians 3:16-20 is a beautiful prayer to pray over someone, even as it finishes by praising God. 

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Pray for Leaders and Those in Authority

The Bible instructs us to pray for leaders and those in authority.

Even when they belong to the OTHER political party.

Even when they belong to a DIFFERENT form of government in another nation.

Even when we DISAGREE with and DISAPPROVE of their choices.

How do you pray for leaders and those in authority? 

Breath Prayers

I was recently introduced to the practice of breath prayers.

These prayers are short, simple, and done in a breath.

As you deeply inhale, pray a name or title or description of God.

-Almighty God

-Lord Jesus

-God our Savior

As you slowly exhale, state your request.

-Reduce my anxiety

-Give me Your words to say

-Help this person

Feel free to repeat the prayer as needed.

Listen in Nature

One way that we can pray to God is out in nature.

In cities, we have so many noises and notifications, distractions and demands on our time.

At a state park, it is possible to hike far enough to let the sounds of civilization fade, as we are too far from the road to hear cars and our cell phones barely connect to the internet.

Instead of hearing our usual sounds, we can sit and breathe out in nature, as we listen to...

-birds

-animals moving

-a stream

-the wind in the trees

And once we have found silence, we can better listen for what God is telling us. 

Yes, we can bring our laundry list of requests to God out in nature, but I challenge us to use the time in nature to be still, be silent, and be attentive to what God is saying. 

Listen and notice what God has created.

Listen and notice what God is telling you.

Listen. 

Pray for the Blind

October 15th is White Cane Safety Day, so we are taking time today to pray for those who are blind or who have visual impairments. 

Before you jump in with prayers for the blind to receive their sight and before you start belting out Amazing Grace, STOP.

Read the article above about what white cane safety day is.

Listen to a podcast or an online video by a blind person about being blind. 

Suggested themes to search:

*white cane day

*accessibility issues for blind

*guiding a blind person

*how to assist a blind person

*top annoyances for blind people (spoiler: going up to a blind person and asking to pray for their sight to be restored is mentioned in the top annoyances in several videos.) 

Learn what struggles blind people are having due to the lack of accessibility and general public ignorance. (Bonus points for writing to your representatives to actual DO something to improve accessibility).

Imagine having people come up to you and asking "Can I pray for you to lose weight?" or "Can I pray for you to become healthier?" 

Would you be offended? 

Would you think the person was presumptuous and rude? 

Would you be irritated that a person looked at you and made a snap decision on what THEY thought you needed prayer for? 

Would you have preferred to be asked "How can I pray for you?" 

Would you prefer not to discuss your prayer requests with a stranger? 

My go-to prayer for strangers is "God, be with them." Because I do not know their story. I do not know their struggles and successes. I would not want to open up to someone I just met, so why would I expect another person (with or without a disability) to open up to me? 

No one can stop you from silently praying for a blind person to receive healing and sight, but approaching them and wanting to pray that over them may not be what they want. Maybe they are in the mall to do their shopping. We may not get the "warm fuzzies" when we pray silently for a person instead of praying aloud, but that is not our goal in prayer. If we are upsetting people by going up to them and asking to pray for their sight to be restored, then we are doing more harm than good.

How can you pray for the blind today? 

Pray for the Marginalized

Pray for those on the margins of society, those whose voices get drowned out and whose needs get ignored.

Pray for the homeless.

Pray for the poor.

Pray for orphans and children in the foster system.

Pray for widows and widowers.

Pray for immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers.

Pray for those with disabilities and compromised immune systems.

Pray for the overworked and those underpaid.

Pray for those looking for jobs.

Then ask God, how He would have you care for these people and help them. 

Pray for Your Persecutors

In Matthew 5, we are told "“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:43-48)

Now in this passage, I want to zero in on the part on prayer (conveniently bolded).

We are to pray for those who persecute us. Pray for. 

Jesus did not command us to pray against our enemies.

We are not ordered to pray for their destruction or downfall, but to pray for them.

What kinds of prayers do you like people to pray for you? 

-Prayers to draw closer to God? good.

-Prayers to reject pride and act with humility? good.

-Prayers to follow God's will and be receptive to His teaching and guidance? good.

Pray those for them. 

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Pray by Listening

 Take a moment and listen. What do you hear? 

The TV? Turn it off.

The radio? Also turn it off. 

Cell phone notifications? Switch it to do not disturb.

Listen. 

Not to the to do list in your head.

Not to the hate and fear the news companies push.

Not to world pushing what it says will satisfy you.

But listen.

To the Holy Spirit.

To its promptings.

To its leading.

Ask a question and then listen for the answer. 

The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence

Have you ever procrastinated reading a book because you thought it would be long and difficult, only to discover it's only an 1 hour and 15 minute audiobook? 

That happened to me when I read The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence.

What struck me when I listened to this book was how gracious Brother Lawrence was to himself when he got sidetracked and forgot to spend time in God's presence while going about his tasks. He didn't belittle, berate, or lecture himself, but was grateful that he was now reminded to practice the presence of God once again. 

As a recovering perfectionist, I was floored by his response to his "failure". 

He didn't teach us how we can avoid getting distracted and perfectly practice the presence of God, but he showed us how to get back on track when we are aware that we have wandered away from God. 

I encourage you to read his book and then start to practice being in the presence of God throughout the day. As we intentionally spend time in God's presence, we will find that we are talking to God and listening to God as we go about our tasks. 

Praying with the Bells

Most summers, I dust off my copy of a prayer book that provides morning, midday, evening, and night prayers and do my best to pray at the proper time (6-9, 11-2, 5-8, and bedtime) as I try to show myself grace for the times I am busy or just simply forget. 

This summer, while I haven't brought out my summer prayer book, I have been structuring my day around bells as I volunteer on a farm at a Catholic college. As the bells toll, I use them as a reminder to drink water, but I hope to also cultivate the practice of praying when the bells chime.

I work at a school during the school year and I hear a lot of bells. Each class is dismissed and started by a bell, with a 1-minute warning bell thrown in for good measure, so over the course of my day, I hear over 30 bells. What if I used these bells as a prompt to pray? Not long, elaborate, showy prayers, but simple, silent, one-sentence prayers.

-God, I ask for wisdom for my job.

-Lord, show these children Your love.

-Jesus, may I show Your peace to those I interact with today.

-Spirit, give me Your words to say when someone is suffering.  

30+ opportunities to pray.

30+ reminders to intercede for those in my line of sight.

30+ moments to refocus on God.

Praying using a Prayer Map

Let us pray using a map...

...of our city: what is happening in our city? 

...of our state: what is happening in our state?

...of our country: what is happening in our country?  

...of our continent: what is happening in our continent?

...of the other continents: what is happening in the other continents? 

What good things are happening that we can praise God for? 

What things are concerning or frightening us? 

What natural disasters have struck people? 

What man-made disasters are people struggling with? 

How can we pray for people in different religions?  

How can we pray for people in different jobs?

How can we pray for people in different governments and economies? 

How can we use color on our maps? 

Make a color chart to pray for different things. 

Red: natural disaster

Orange: man-made disaster

Green: Praise

etc.

Pray in New Positions

As we study the Bible this year, let us note the physical positions of those praying in the Bible. (A quick online search will show a sampling of the positions of prayers in the Bible)

Is there a position for petitioning and interceding?

Is there a position for praising and worshipping? 

What position were we unfamiliar with? 

Which position of prayer resonates with us? 

Which position of pray makes us uncomfortable? 

Praying the Bible's Prayers

As we study the Bible this year, let us note the prayers of the Bible. (A quick online search will show a collection of prayers in the Bible)

How does the person praying praise God in the prayer? 

How does the person praying petition God in the prayer? 

How does the person praying vent to God in the prayer?  

What aspects of the Bible's prayers resonate with us? 

What aspects of the Bible's prayers make us uncomfortable? 

Keeping a Prayer Journal

One way that we can track our prayers is to write them down. When we write down our prayers, we can come back later to write updates and answers to the prayers.  If we are in a rough season, we can go back through our prayer journal and see how God has been faithful in the past. We can decide if we want the prayers arranged by date or by topic. A journal doesn't have to be a physical journal. If we prefer to type our requests, that's perfectly valid as well. 

Have you used a prayer journal before? What were the benefits and drawbacks to using it? 

Praying for the Persecutors and the Persecuted

Jesus' teachings are not always popular.

He taught us to love our enemies, pray for our persecutors, and forgive those who wronged us. These are easy things to talk about, but hard to actually live out. 

We are called to pray for persecutors, but also our brothers and sisters facing persecution. 

Pray for persecutors to encounter Christ.

Pray for persecutors to repent of their sins.

Pray for persecutors to be changed by God's mercy and grace.

Pray for the persecuted to remain faithful to God.

Pray for the persecuted to have the words to say to and the wisdom to know who to talk to.

Pray for the persecuted to stay free from hate and bitterness. 

How else can we pray FOR persecutors and the persecuted? 

Praying for an Hour: Part 12...Praise and Conclusion

Praise: Praise God For What He Has Done

See Psalm 150:1-6

What does it mean to praise?  Grab a dictionary and look it up. 

Is this an easy or difficult type of prayer for me? Why?

How often do I pray this way?

Search for praise in the Bible. Read the verses that use this word. 

What is God teaching you about praising? 

Conclusion

What has God shown you about prayer as we have looked at these 12 types of prayer? 

What are the benefits for each type of prayer? 

Why are all of these prayers necessary in a Christian's life? 

Which types of prayers are left off of this list? 

Take time, an hour to be precise, to go through all 12 prayers.

Praying for an Hour: Part 11...Listen

Listen: Listen To God. Ask Him For Guidance

“I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly.” Psalm 85:8

What does it mean to listen?  Grab a dictionary and look it up. 

Is this an easy or difficult type of prayer for me? Why?

How often do I pray this way?

Search for listen in the Bible. Read the verses that use this word. 

What is God teaching you about listening? 

Praying for an Hour: Part 10...Meditate

Meditation: Meditate On His Word/Character

“May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.” Psalm 104:34

What does it mean to meditate?  Grab a dictionary and look it up. 

Is this an easy or difficult type of prayer for me? Why?

How often do I pray this way?

Search for meditate in the Bible. Read the verses that use this word. 

What is God teaching you about meditating? 

Praying for an Hour: Part 9...Sing

Song: Sing A Song To God

“ He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.” Psalm 40:3

What does it mean to sing?  Grab a dictionary and look it up. 

Is this an easy or difficult type of prayer for me? Why?

How often do I pray this way?

Search for song/sing in the Bible. Read the verses that use this word. 

What is God teaching you about singing? 

Praying for an Hour: Part 8...Give Thanks

Thanksgiving: Thank God For The Good In Your Life

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name” Psalm 100:4

What does thanksgiving mean?  Grab a dictionary and look it up. 

Is this an easy or difficult type of prayer for me? Why?

How often do I pray this way?

Search for thanksgiving in the Bible. Read the verses that use this word. 

What is God teaching you about giving thanks? 

Praying for an Hour: Part 7...Petition

 Petitions: Pray For Yourself

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

What does it mean to petition?  Grab a dictionary and look it up. 

Is this an easy or difficult type of prayer for me? Why?

How often do I pray this way?

Search for petition in the Bible. Read the verses that use this word. 

What is God teaching you about petitioning? 

Praying for an Hour: Part 6...Intercede

 Intercession: Pray For Others

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—“1 Timothy 2:1

What does it mean to intercede?  Grab a dictionary and look it up. 

Is this an easy or difficult type of prayer for me? Why?

How often do I pray this way?

Search for intercession/intercede in the Bible. Read the verses that use this word. 

What is God teaching you about intercession? 

Praying for an Hour: Part 5...Watch

Watch: Pray For Things/People You See And The News You See/Read

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

What does it mean to watch?  Grab a dictionary and look it up. 

Is this an easy or difficult type of prayer for me? Why?

How often do I pray this way?

Search for watch in the Bible. Read the verses that use this word. 

What is God teaching you about watching? 

Praying for an Hour: Part 4...Pray Scripture

Pray Scriptures: Pray Prayers & Other Verses In the Bible

“ I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11

What does "pray" and "scripture" mean?  Grab a dictionary and look them up. 

Is this an easy or difficult type of prayer for me? Why?

How often do I pray this way?

Search for "Your Word" in the Bible. Read the verses that use this word. 

What is God teaching you about His Word? 

Praying for an Hour: Part 3...Confess

Confess: Confess Any And All Of Your Sins

“I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.” Psalm 38:18

What does it mean to confess?  Grab a dictionary and look it up. 

Is this an easy or difficult type of prayer for me? Why?

How often do I pray this way?

Search for confess in the Bible. Read the verses that use this word. 

What is God teaching you about confession?