![]() |
The Secret to Growing in PrayerBy Dan VisApril 04, 2022 Comments: 95 |

Many people find growing in prayer a challenge. And there are plenty of opinions out there about how to improve. In the paragraphs below, I'd like to share one of the things that helped me learn to pray. It's something I call Scriptural Praying.
And I stumbled on to it by accident.
Prayer & Scripture
From the first years of my Christian journey, I felt it was important to connect prayer and Scripture. Memorizing verses like John 15:7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. and Romans 10:17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. strengthened that conviction. So I made it a point to attach specific promises to specific requests and claim them.Later, I began to understand experientially the prayerful state we should be in when studying, and conversely, the need to listen for God speaking back through memorized verses when in prayer. In time, the link between prayer and Scripture became so close it was not always clear how to distinguish between them.
At some point, the idea occurred to me to use Scripture as a framework for prayer. I would focus my prayer time on the beatitudes in Matthew 5--asking God to build each characteristic into my life. Or I would pray through the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, asking God to search my heart for pockets of sin I had not seen before. Or I would pray through Ephesians 6, asking God specifically to equip me with each piece of spiritual armor.
It was a simple process. I would find a passage appropriate to my needs and turn to it in my Bible. Then I would go through the passage verse by verse, slowly, simply talking with God about what each verses said. And listening. After a few moments, I'd proceed to the next verse and continue. I could go as fast or as slow as I wanted.
It was always powerful.
Useful Passages
In time, I found many more passages that were useful for this kind of prayer. Psalms of praise. Praying through a string of proverbs--asking God for the wisdom of Solomon. And of course, many of Paul's epistles were filled with amazing statements about God's will for the believers he was writing. And there were plenty of model prayers recorded in Scripture I could pattern my prayers after. Even parables and familiar Bible stories, were easy to take and adapt to situations in my life. The more I looked, the more I found.FREE Gift!
Want a list of some of my favorite passages for this kind of prayer? Check out this FREE download and get ready for some amazing prayer experiences!More Info
FREE Gift!
Want a list of amazing passages you can use to take your prayer life off to the next level? Get this FREE list of passages perfect for Scriptural Praying, along with tips on how to use them...And it's completely FREE to members!
Not yet a member? No problem! Just enter your name and email below. We'll send a quick email with a password to your new account. Use it to login, then return to this page to grab this and other FREE resources...
By joining, you agree to receive our email newsletter and to let us create an account you can use to begin interacting with our community. Please review our privacy policy for more information. |
Incorporating Scripture into my prayer life helped me stay focused. It also strengthened my faith, because I knew my requests were in line with God's will. In fact, they weren't just in harmony with Scripture, they were sparked by Scripture as the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart.
And this practice further deepened my conviction that prayer and Scripture are two sides of the same coin. Communication with God. Intimacy. The divine encounter. They shouldn't be disconnected.
Why not give Scriptural praying a try for your self?
Comments
What do you think of the suggestions in this article? Do you use Scripture in your prayers? How has it impacted your prayer life? How important is it to link prayer and Scripture together? Share a thought in the comments below...![]() |
Posted by Dan Vis on 02/03/23 | ||
Glad that class was helpful to you Carlota! And I like that verse too. One of the most beautiful verses anywhere! :) | |||
![]() |
Posted by Carlota Belmo on 02/03/23 | ||
I’m glad that I’ve taken the Prayer secrets class. It has helped in my prayers. when I include the scriptures I feel like I’m being heard and answered and it makes more sense to me. I now include that Psalms 143:8Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. it means so much to me. Thanks Dan. | |||
![]() |
Posted by Dan Vis on 10/31/22 | ||
That's a great verse Linda! I've always been impressed by Philippians 1:7Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. which gives the condition for the promise in Philippians 1:6Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:. :) Thanks for testifying to the power that comes with using God's Word in prayer! It is a blessing to us, spiritually, to do that! |
|||
![]() |
Posted by Linda Johnson on 10/30/22 | ||
When I pray God's words back to Him, I have great peace and expectancy. I know God hears His own words, and I am blessed to use them. I love Philippians 1:6Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: in praying for loved ones not presently walking with the Lord. I know God is working on their hearts by this passage for the good work He began in them before, He will carry it to completion before He comes. Hallelujah! |
|||
![]() |
Posted by Dan Vis on 10/24/22 | ||
Thanks for another testimony on the power of the Word! Powerful Sara. May it inspire all of us to press forward in our memorization. It's worth it! | |||
![]() |
Posted by Dan Vis on 10/13/22 | ||
Ajai, I think the message below is for you... If you wish to respond, click Wayne's name to go to his office, and connect directly. | |||
![]() |
Posted by Shawnda McKnight on 10/11/22 | ||
Reciting scripture in prayer has increased my faith. I now ask as if I already have it.. (then I add Lord I beleive, please help my unbelief) I don't want to sound cocky like I got this in the bag...But I do want to be confident knowing that my God will never fail me or forsake me. (Deuteronomy 31:6Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.) | |||
![]() |
Posted by Dan Vis on 04/07/22 | ||
Thank you for your testimony Barbara. The more we mix pray and the Word, the stronger both become. God is good... | |||
![]() |
Posted by Dan Vis on 04/06/22 | ||
I pray you find it a blessing Rhoda! It is a somewhat advanced technique, and it may take a bit of practice to get used to it, but it can be very powerful... | |||
![]() |
Posted by Rhoda Forbes on 04/06/22 | ||
Thank you Pr Dan, this is a new approach to prayer for me, will certainly apply it. | |||
![]() |
Posted by Dan Vis on 04/05/22 | ||
It's a beautiful verse isn't it Terri? We include that in our Basic Training course. But consider trying a longer passage some time and using it as an entire framework for prayer. You could for example try doing that whole chapter, working through it one verse at a time, and spending several minutes on each verse. Looking at it now, it looks like it could be an amazing experience! Yes! That's the whole point exactly Lana: to "frame our petitions in harmony with the divine design". Not sure where that quote is from, but I love it. And even more the clear reason behind this approach--to bring our prayers into greater harmony with His will. Good post! Believe it or not Mary, Melody was in one of my very first discipleship teams, back when she was in academy. It's been amazing to see how the Lord has used her! That part about using a passage of Scripture like this to keep our mind focused, and not wandering, is a very important benefit of this approach! |
|||
![]() |
Posted by Lana Rose on 04/04/22 | ||
I agree heartily with the thoughts in this reading. I have been realizing it is by knowing scripture that we can know God's will. I feel it is our duty as Christians "to discover God's will and frame our petitions in harmony with the divine design." (Bible Commentaries on I John 5:14-1514 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.). |
|||
![]() |
Posted by Terri Krovoza on 04/04/22 | ||
I have been trying to do that more often in my prayers since hearing about it. I really love Psalms 143:8Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. and pray it as part of my prayer every morning. | |||
![]() |
Posted by Ajai Mathews Joy on 04/04/22 | ||
Thank you for this study... I am encouraged to try scriptural prayer |
|||
![]() |
Posted by Dan Vis on 08/23/20 | ||
Sure, happy to share these resources Bert! Think of them as a birthday present, from us to you. :) | |||
![]() |
Posted by Bert Hopkins on 08/22/20 | ||
ThankYou for the special Scripture study note. And ThankYou for this study. Praise God .I was using it in my prayers occasionally but now will be more focused . | |||
![]() |
Posted by Dan Vis on 11/26/19 | ||
You are very welcome Denise! You can certainly add to the list, but it helps to have a few starter passages to, well, get started! :) | |||
![]() |
Posted by Denise Buglino on 11/25/19 | ||
Thank you for sharing the Scriptural Prayer passages (bonus) compilation Dan. | |||
![]() |
Posted by Dan Vis on 06/13/19 | ||
You are very welcome Emmanuel! I think you will enjoy it. Be sure to grab the free gift in the memo above! | |||
Join the Discussion!
Want to read more articles, or leave a comment of your own? Please login. Not yet a member? Why not join our community...JOIN LOGIN