WHEN SCRIPTURE BECOMES YOUR PRAYER PART 1: SCRIPTURE — GOD'S WRITTEN MESSAGE

WHEN SCRIPTURE BECOMES YOUR PRAYER

PART 1: SCRIPTURE — GOD'S WRITTEN MESSAGE

2 TIMOTHY 3:16–17 (NIV)

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

 

Have you ever thought about what the word Scripture actually means? We use the word all the time.

We say, “The Scripture says…”

We say, “Let's read some Scripture.”

We say, “Let's pray with Scripture.”

But what exactly is Scripture?

Let me put it in the simplest way possible.

A script is a written message prepared by an author to be spoken or acted out.

An actor receives a script, studies it, understands what the writer is saying, and then speaks the words.

The actor doesn't create the story.

The actor doesn't change the author's message because he doesn't like it.

He receives what has been written and communicates it.

Now, Scripture is not a theatrical script. But the analogy helps us understand something important.

Scripture is God's written and revealed message.

God has spoken, and Scripture gives us the written record of what He has revealed.

That is why Paul says:

“All Scripture is God-breathed.”

In other words, Scripture is not merely a collection of human ideas. It is God's Word given to us. And this is important because Scripture was not given simply for us to read and close our Bibles.

It was given to teach us, correct us, train us, guide us, and shape the way we live.

So Scripture is not just information.

Scripture is instruction for life.

Think about a builder. When a builder is given a building project, he needs a plan.

He cannot simply arrive at the site and say, “Today I feel like putting the bedroom here, tomorrow I'll move it somewhere else.”

There is a blueprint. The blueprint tells the builder what the architect has designed.

And if the builder follows the blueprint, he is working according to the architect's intention. This is where we will eventually connect Scripture with prayer.

Scripture is God's blueprint for what He has revealed to us. But before we get to praying Scripture, we first have to learn to know Scripture.

Because you cannot properly pray what you don't understand. You cannot confidently speak what you don't believe. And you cannot live what you refuse to obey.

So Scripture must first become something we know and understand.

Imagine someone giving you a letter. You don't just look at the envelope and say, “I have a letter.”

You open it. You read it. You understand what the writer is saying. And then you respond. That is how we should approach God's Word.

Read it.
Understand it.
Believe it.
Respond to it.

And that response can happen through prayer. For example, Scripture tells us that God is with us.

So when we pray, we can say:

“Lord, You have said that You are with me. Help me to trust Your presence even when I cannot see what You are doing.”

God's Word has given us language for our prayer. And that is where this series is taking us.

We are going to learn what it means to take God's Word and bring it back to Him in prayer. But everything begins here:

Scripture is God's written message.

It is God's revealed truth.

It is the blueprint He has given us.

And if we want our prayers to be shaped by God's heart, we must first become people who know His Word. Because before Scripture becomes our prayer, it must first become our foundation.

Think About This

If God's Word is the blueprint, then prayer should not be about asking God to follow our design. Prayer should also involve allowing His Word to shape our design.

Instead of always asking:

“God, what do I want You to do?”

We should also ask:

“God, what have You already said?”

And once we discover what He has said, we can bring that Word back to Him in prayer.

That is the foundation of praying Scripture.

LIFE APPLICATION

Don't only read your Bible to finish a chapter.

Read it asking:

“What is God saying to me?”

Then ask:

“How can I respond to what God has said?”

Sometimes that response will be obedience.

Sometimes it will be repentance.

Sometimes it will be thanksgiving.

Sometimes it will be worship.

And sometimes, it will be prayer.

REFLECTION

If Scripture is God's written message to you, how much attention are you giving to what He has said?

Are you only reading the Bible?

Or are you allowing God's Word to shape your thoughts, your prayers, and your life?

PRAYER

Father, thank You for giving us Your Word.

Help us not to treat Scripture as ordinary words, but as Your revealed truth.

Give us understanding when we read it, faith to believe it, courage to obey it, and wisdom to know how to respond to it.

Teach us to become people who don't only read Your Word, but allow Your Word to shape our prayers and our lives.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

NEXT PART

We have established that Scripture is God's written message.

But now comes the next question:

If Scripture is God's blueprint, what does that mean for our prayers?

In Part 2, we will look at:

SCRIPTURE — GOD'S BLUEPRINT

Because we don't pray to create God's blueprint; we pray from the blueprint God has already given us.

God is speaking, are you listening?

Prince Julius Nenebi-Darkson 

(EL-PJ God’s penman)