Praying Scripture & Psalms

What

Praying Scripture is a practice that invites us to inhabit and authentically pray the prayers, psalms, teachings, and hopes found in the Bible. This practice opens our hearts to the Scriptures and allows the words of the Scriptures to direct our prayers.

Why

In our human relationships, we find that sometimes words come easy and, at other times, words escape us. To be fair, it is a profound mark of connection, intimacy, and security between people when they can sit in silence together without anxiously filling the space with words. So, while the absence of words is not itself a problem, sometimes introducing a question or topic for consideration goes a long way. Praying Scripture is a bit like that. Praying Scripture is a rich and meaningful practice when we’re at a loss for words. It is also incredibly meaningful when our own emotions and thoughts are so jumbled, messy, or perhaps even fraught, that we can’t find the words to pray. Sometimes though, we engage in a practice like Praying Scripture when we simply want to offer the profound prayers, psalms, teachings, and hopes of the Scriptures back to God in prayer. Through this practice, we enter deeply into Bible passages with a heart towards letting God’s words shape our thoughts and desires during prayer. 

How

Step 1 | Choose a Verse, Passage, or Psalm

Choose a verse, passage, or psalm that is particularly meaningful for you. You can use a topic index in the back of some Bibles or Google. If you are unsure where to start with a topic, here are a few questions that may help you discern which topic to look for:

  • What is on my heart right now? 

  • Do I have a burden for something or someone?

  • What am I grateful for? 

  • What do I need from God right now? 

  • Do I have unconfessed sin in my life?

  • What challenge am I facing?

  • What am I celebrating?

Step 2 | Settle into God’s Presence

Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into a prayerful encounter. Come to a place of stillness and quiet before God. Breathe deeply. Inhale God’s love, grace, and mercy toward you. Exhale fears, doubts, and competing thoughts. Repeat until your thoughts and heart rate settle.

Step 3 | Inhabit the Verse, Passage, or Psalm

Read your selected verse, passage, or psalm. Notice the words, the feelings, the questions of the text. How does it speak to your life in the present or in the past? How does it answer any questions you are struggling with? How does it comfort or console you? How does it convict or challenge you? How does it help you express praise for something good? How does it help you express frustration and lament for something painful? How does it point to God’s redemption and restoration in your life? Consider how God’s story is playing out in your story as you ponder this verse, passage, or psalm. 

Step 4 | Offer the Words of the Verse, Passage, or Psalm Back to God

Paul says to the Romans that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us in groanings too deep for words. The invitation is to trust Paul’s promise as you turn toward prayer. Relinquish the need to discover the right words to pray and simply offer the words of your verse, passage, or psalm back to God. As you read it aloud or silently to God, you might even add a specific name or topic into the text to personalize it. When you finish reading, simply close with Amen.