Praying the Bible

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With the impending invasion of the enemy, King Jehoshaphat called upon the people of Judah to seek God. Then in front of the great assembly, Jehoshaphat prayed, reminding God of His character and His promises to give Israel the land they inhabited: Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! Moments later, after the death of Jesus, the earth shook. The Gospel of Matthew records, “When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!'” (Matthew 27:54). God the Father opened the eyes of the centurion and others to see the identity of Christ, thus showing how God answered Jesus’s prayer. Father God we praise you for your perfect righteousness. There is no fairer nor more merciful a judge than you, and we confess that we do not deserve your forgiveness for the sins we’ve committed. Though we have wronged you, betrayed you, and hated you in so many ways, we thank you for the unbelievable gift of freedom from the power of sin in our lives. Help us to always remember the cost of our freedom and to never forget how Jesus has dealt with our sins at the cross. Help us to also grow in our awareness of the sins that taint our lives so that we would learn to hate our sins like you do. Shine the light of your Holy Spirit into the dark places of our hearts so that we might better know and repent of our sins for your glory. Thank you so much for reconciling us through the gospel to make us your righteous servants. Use us to proclaim your good news boldly to others this week. We pray all this in the name of Jesus and for his sake, Amen. Luke 2:8-20 Even when he faced persecution, Stephen was still compassionate in bringing more people to God. His hope was for the conversion of those people who persecuted them, eventually. His final prayer was highly similar to Jesus’ final prayer on the cross as well ( Luke 23:34). He boldly held on to his belief in Christ and as such, his actions reflected Christ as well. Are we able to still be identified as God’s children in distressing times? God Hears Your Prayers Until The Very End

Many Christians—even those of us who serve as pastors—would confess that our prayer lives are not what they ought to be. Despite our best intentions and most recent resolutions, we often find that the discipline of daily prayer leads to frustration and guilt rather than freedom and joy. How does something that ought to be considered a privilege become a begrudging obligation? How is it that we, in the words of Donald Whitney, “can be talking to the most fascinating Person in the universe about the most important things in our lives and be bored to death?” (p. 12). In Praying the Bible, Whitney argues that the problem may be as simple as this: we tend to pray the same prayers about the same issues over and over.

I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers’ – this shows that Paul is continuously praying for the Ephesians daily, not whenever he chooses to. There were other accounts where Paul’s prayers in the Bible show how much he continuously pray for them. Pray For Wisdom To Know God Better To give you an example of praying Scripture, I chose Mark 8:31-38 from this week’s lectionary readings. Read through this passage below and then see an example of my prayer. In verses 3, 7, and 8, David is probably referring to how his enemies or others are more prosperous than he is. But he does not let anger overrule him, because he knows that while those emotions are valid, they are not the truth. God is the truth. Our identity in Him remains as “faithful servant[s]” whom He has sanctified. Thus, our reality that God is faithful and for us remains unchanged. Finding Peace And Refuge O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (verse 12, emphasis added) Read the passage slowly, soak in the words and take the versesto heart. You may even want to write itout on paper.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Ask God for protection and help in overcoming our sins, to deliver us from Satan’s temptations so that we may achieve healing. Glorify God’s name We can always come to God and seek His wisdom when we face challenges or conflicts that are above us. But instead of asking God for solutions, we should ask God for wisdom as Paul did in verse 17, that God so freely gives to us through the Holy Spirit. So that we can know God better. In doing so, we can comprehend God’s character and have a breakthrough to understand how God wants us to resolve certain conflicts or overcome situations. We can be taught about God, but unless we ask for wisdom from the Holy Spirit, we can never truly know God. Pray For A Hope That Embraces The Future It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 19 Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.’ Lessons We Can Learn From Hezekiah’s Prayer In Troubling Times, Seek God FirstLuke 18: 9 – 13 9 To some who were confident of their righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” Lessons We Can Learn From The Tax Collector’s Prayer Self-Righteousness Is Not Righteousness At All And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness… (Acts 4:24–29) This short prayer of the apostle Paul is rich. We learn that the fountain of joy and peace is our God of hope. This God of hope is able to give us not a little joy and peace, but all joy and peace. And the result of filling us with peace and joy in believing is that we abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Another one of David’s prayers in the Bible is for anger and peace. This short psalm was written by David ​​as he complains to God about the slanders made against him and finding peace and refuge in God. Enemies here do not necessarily refer to humans out to harm you (verse 1). They can refer to illness, ailment, or any burdens that you have. When we pray, pray for how God has allowed us to reign victory over all of these. No matter how big or small it is, always count our blessings to know that God is in control. Dependence On God For Healing As one of the pioneer deacons of the early church and the first-ever Christian martyr, Stephen was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit ( Acts 6:5). Just like Paul, he went around preaching God’s word and has made prayers in the Bible. While being stoned to death, Stephen prayed that God will have compassion for the people who were stoning him.God responded, “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s” (verse 15). Filled with joy at this response, the people of God worshipped by singing loudly (verses 18, 19, 22). Then God gave the victory.

Father God we are grateful for all that you’ve lavishly blessed us with through our union with Jesus Christ. We praise you for sealing us as your adopted children and making us rich inheritors of your everlasting kingdom. We thank you for comforting us in our moments of weakness and tribulation with the assured knowledge that like Christ you will raise us to life after death. We glorify you for the success that you have given to the Church as the Holy Spirit leads us to proclaim the good news to every tribe, every tongue, and every nation. Lord, we confess that we have often wasted and squandered your blessings. Please forgive us and help us to invest every blessing we have for your kingdom so that you might use us as blessings to others. If it be your will, we ask that you help us to win the favor of our family, friends, and co-workers by unashamedly living out our lives for the gospel and the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray all this in his name and for his sake, Amen. Genesis 39:6-12 Acts 7:59-60 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Lessons We Can Learn From Stephen’s Prayer Even When Facing Persecution, Be Rest Assured That God Is Still With You David prayed this prayer after the prophet Nathan confronted him about his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah. (Read about that story in 2 Samuel 11-12.) David knew that he sinned first against God. “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (4), and casts himself on the mercy of God for mercy and a clean heart. Often during bouts with great anxiety, our heart can’t stop meditating on our anxieties. What we need is a fresh perspective, a reason to worship God instead of question His goodness. When you battle troubling situations, look to God’s mighty works in the past, don’t just focus on your little world. Look especially to the death and resurrection of Jesus, who is a new and better Moses leading the redemption of God’s children from slavery to sin to the Promised Land of heaven (see Hebrews 3:1–6).From verses 3 to 10, Hannah was reminded of the oppression and injustice she received in the past. But instead of requesting vindication for herself, Hannah reminded that it is God who reigns sovereign and will handle the eventual judgment. She is resisting the temptation of taking justice into our own hands In All Circumstances, Respond To God With Praise And Adoration He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.