WHEN SCRIPTURE BECOMES YOUR PRAYER PART 3: PRAYER — RESPONDING TO THE BLUEPRINT

WHEN SCRIPTURE BECOMES YOUR PRAYER

PART 3: PRAYER — RESPONDING TO THE BLUEPRINT

1 John 5:14 (NIV)

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

 

In the first two parts, we established two important things.

Scripture is God's written message.

And Scripture is like God's blueprint.

But now comes the practical question:

What do we do with the blueprint when we pray?

The answer is simple:

We respond to it. 

Think about receiving a letter from someone you love. You read the letter, and the person tells you something important.

Maybe they say, “I will be coming to see you.” You don't read the letter and simply put it away. You respond. You might say:

“I'm looking forward to seeing you.”

Or: “Thank you for letting me know.”

The message came from them, but your response comes from you. That is one way to understand prayer.

God speaks through His Word, and prayer is our response to what He has said.

This is why Scripture is so important in prayer. Sometimes we don't know what to say to God. We have a situation, but we don't have the words. We have fear, but we don't know how to express it. We have a desire, but we don't know whether we are praying according to God's will.

Scripture gives us a starting point.

It gives us God's own words to work with.

For example, Scripture says:

“The Lord is my shepherd.”

Instead of simply reading those words, we can turn them into prayer:

“Lord, You are my Shepherd. Lead me. Guide me. Provide for me. Help me to trust You when I don't know where the road ahead is taking me.”

The Scripture has become our prayer.

Or Scripture says:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid.”

We can respond:

“Lord, You have told me not to be afraid. Give me the courage to face what is before me. Help me trust You even when I feel afraid.”

Again, God's Word has given us the language of our prayer. And this is what I mean when I say:

Prayer is our response to the blueprint.

We are not writing a new blueprint.

We are responding to the one God has already given us. But there is something very important here. Praying Scripture does not mean taking a verse out of context and demanding that God do whatever we want.

It is not a formula. It is not magic.

We don't quote a Bible verse as if the words themselves force God to give us our desired outcome.

Instead, we seek to understand what God is saying and allow His Word to shape our hearts and our requests.

That is why 1 John 5:14 says that we have confidence when we ask according to His will.

Scripture helps us understand God's revealed will. So the more we know God's Word, the more we learn how to pray.

And sometimes, praying Scripture will actually change what we want. You may begin prayer saying:

“God, I want You to change this situation.”

But as you meditate on His Word, your prayer may become:

“Lord, even if You don't change the situation immediately, change me. Give me wisdom. Give me patience. Give me strength. Help me respond in a way that honours You.”

That is the power of allowing Scripture to shape prayer. The prayer is no longer simply about getting God to do something for us.

It becomes about allowing God to work in us. Think about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He expressed His desire honestly before the Father. But ultimately, He submitted to the Father's will.

That is the heart of biblical prayer.

We can bring our desires.

We can bring our fears.

We can bring our questions.

But we also bring them under the authority of God's will. And Scripture helps us do that.

So when you read the Bible, don't rush past it. Stop and ask:

“How can I turn this truth into a prayer?”

If Scripture tells you to forgive, pray for the grace to forgive.

If Scripture tells you to trust God, pray for the faith to trust Him.

If Scripture tells you to seek wisdom, ask God for wisdom.

If Scripture reveals God's faithfulness, thank Him for His faithfulness.

If Scripture exposes something wrong in your heart, confess it and ask God to help you change.

That is how Scripture becomes prayer.

And there is something beautiful about this.

The Bible can give you words when your emotions have taken your words away.

Sometimes you may not know what to say.

Open the Psalms.

Read David's prayers.

Let his words help you express what is happening in your heart. You may discover that the Bible is saying what you couldn't find the words to say yourself.

So remember the journey we are taking in this series:

Scripture is God's message.

Scripture is God's blueprint.

And now:

Prayer is our response to that blueprint.

We read what God has said.

We understand what He has said.

We believe what He has said.

And then we respond to Him in prayer.

That is what it means for Scripture to become your prayer.

REFLECTION

When you read Scripture, do you simply close your Bible after reading?

Or do you stop and ask:

“God, how should I respond to what You have just said?”

PRAYER

Father, thank You for speaking to us through Your Word.

Teach us not only to read Your Word, but to respond to it.

Give us wisdom to understand what You have said and faith to bring Your Word into our prayers.

Let Your Word shape our desires, our requests, and our hearts.

Help us to pray according to Your will and trust You with the outcome.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

NEXT PART

We have learned that Scripture is God's message, Scripture is God's blueprint, and prayer is our response to that blueprint.

But there is one more question:

How do we speak God's Word with understanding rather than simply repeating verses?

That takes us to Part 4:

THE SCRIPT AND THE SPEAKER

Because before we can properly speak the message, we must first understand the message.

God is speaking, are you listening?

Prince Julius Nenebi-Darkson 

(EL-PJ God’s penman)