PRAYING SCRIPTURE

Some years back I was taught how to pray scripture. We always want to be sure that we are praying in God's will and when we pray scripture we can be sure that we are doing that (providing that you do not take it out of context).

As I've taught Bible study the last couple of years, and in just conversation with other believers, I've realized that there are many people who do NOT know how to do this. They have never been exposed to it, just as I had not for many years. So in thinking about that today, I'd like to share a few verses that are favorites of mine and show you HOW to do that.

Let's start with some really easy ones that you can pray for yourself:

Psalm 27:11 "Teach me your way O Lord and lead me in a plain path". David phrased this one so perfectly you do not even have to change the wording! There are many verses like this that you can take and just quote David or the author verbatim and make it YOUR personal prayer.

Here is another one like that....Psalm 30: 10 "Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me...be my helper!"

Here are some you can pray for your children (be sure to insert YOUR child's name in the blank):

REGARDING THEIR SPEECH: "Lord, would you keep ____ 's tongue from evil and his lips from speaking perversely? Help him to depart evil and do good." Psalm 34: 13, 14

REGARDING BAD COMPANY: "Lord, would you protect _________ and keep her from those who are seeking to draw her away from you? Would you 'let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after her soul; let them be turned back and brought to confusion that seek her hurt....may the angel of the Lord chase them away!" Psalm 35: 4, 5b

GOING THROUGH A ROUGH TIME: "O God...in the multitude of thy mercy would you hear me? Deliver ________ out of the mire... do not allow her to sink; cause her to be delivered from [this situation]. Please do not allow her to be overcome by this. Hear her prayers O Lord, for your lovingkindness is good; turn to her according to the multitude of your tender mercies and do not hide your face from her for she is in trouble and she needs you to hear her quickly!" Psalm 69: 13-17 You will notice that I did change a few words in this verse, but I did not change the meaning. Instead of saying "do not let the deep swallow her up and let not the pit shut her mouth upon her", I said 'do not allow her to be overcome by this'. Same difference, just more appropriate to what you are praying. Most of you are not going to be praying about a child in the deep or a pit (hopefully), but it is referencing a situation in which one is about to drown.

DIRECTION: "Help ____ to refrain his feet from every evil way that he might be able to keep your word." Psalm 119: 101

SPIRITUAL GROWTH: "Father would you grant ________ according to the riches of your glory to be strengthened with might by your Spirit in the inner man; may Christ dwell in her heart by faith; [and may she] be rooted and grounded in love and be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ which passes all knowledge and be filled with all the fulness of God." Now can you imagine praying THAT prayer for your child or grandchild every day? Is there anything in that God would not want you to pray? I think not. You are praying HIS word directly back to Him. It is a powerful tool.

I hope this has given you a glimpse of how praying scripture can enhance your prayer life. And, I hope it will motivate you to want to give it a try. Psalms is the easiest place to start. Won't you try a few verses today as you kneel before the Lord. I promise, you will be blessed!

A PARENT'S HEART

Several years ago, I learned something that has come to mean SO much to me....praying scripture. Taking a verse of scripture and personalizing it for yourself or for the one for whom you are praying. We always want to pray in God's will. When we pray scripture, we can be sure that we are doing so.

Here's an example: When my daughter first began work as a neonatal intensive care nurse, she often had to work nights. Her system just could NOT adjust to that shift. She could not rest or sleep during the day, her digestive system would give her fits. It was a nightmare! One of the verses that I prayed for her was Psalm 127: 2b "...he gives his beloved sleep". I would pray that God would give her sleep during the day so that she would be able to do her job. I also prayed Psalm 4: 8 "I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, for thou, Lord, only makes me to dwell in safety. " I would pray that He would give her peaceful sleep.

After learning that concept, I began to pray verses for my children. They were in their late teens and early adult years and being faced with many temptations and decisions that would affect the rest of their lives. Recently, I have talked with several mothers who are in the same place with their children. Our children are our heart and we desire nothing more than God's very best for them. Yet when they become adults, it is out of our hands. We must place them in God's hands.

Today I'd like to share some of the verses that I have prayed for my children in hopes that these will be verses that you can pray for YOUR children as you lift them up to the Lord each day in prayer:


Try ________'s heart Lord. Visit him in the night. Hold up his goings in YOUR path, Lord. Do not let his foot slip. Psalm 17: 3, 5, 18

Help ______ to acknowledge her sin and not hide it from you. Help her to confess all of her sins so you can forgive her and renew a right relationship with her. Psalm 32:5

Help ______ to depart from evil and do good always. Psalm 34:14

Lord, give ________ a companion who knows and fears you and who obeys your word. Either turn _________'s heart to you or chase him/her away. Psalm 119:63

________ has gone astray like a lost sheep. Seek her Lord. Remind her she is yours. Psalm 119:176

Bring _________'s soul out of prison so he may once again praise you. Deal bountifully with him Lord. Psalm 142:7

O Lord search ___________'s heart, for you know her like no other. You know every move she makes and every thought she has. You are acquainted with all of her ways. There is not a word she speaks that you do not know it, Father. Enclose her behind and before and keep your hand upon her this day. Where can we go and be apart from you? There is no place we can go where you are not....from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. Wherever we go your hand will lead us. The darkness cannot hide you. Wherever ________goes, you are there. She is your possession. You covered her when she was still in my womb. She is fearfully and wonderfully made by you....marvelous is your creation! All her members are written in your book. How precious are your thoughts toward __________. How great is the sum of them. Therefore, search her O God and know her heart. Try her and see if there is any wicked way in her and show her YOUR path everlasting. Psalm 139

May ________ walk not in the counsel of the ungodly...but may his delight be in your word and may he meditate on it day and night. Psalm 1: 1, 2

Show ________ your ways O Lord; teach her your paths. Lead her in your truth for you are the God of her salvation. Psalm 25: 4, 5

God may you always be ________'s hiding place. Preserve him from trouble. Psalm 32: 7

Keep _______'s tongue from evil and her lips from speaking perversely. Psalm 34: 13

May _______depart from evil and do good. May he seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34: 14

Let those who seek to pull _________away from you be confounded and put to shame. May they be turned back....let the angel of the Lord chase them away. Psalm 35: 4,5

Father, help ________ to fret not, but to trust in you. May she delight herself in you so that you may give her the desires of her heart. Help her to commit her way unto You, rest and wait patiently for you. Psalm 37: 1-7

Order _______'s steps Lord in your way. When he falls, pick him up and uphold him with your mighty right hand. Psalm 37: 23, 24

Hide not your face from ________, Lord. When they are in trouble, hear them speedily! Psalm 69: 17

May _______ be blessed because her strength is in you and may her heart be set on you. Psalm 84: 5

Help _______ to behave wisely....help him to walk within his house in a perfect way. May he set no wicked thing before his eyes. Psalm 101: 2,3

May she seek you with her whole heart....may she not wander from the commands of your word. May she hide your word in her heart so that she will not sin against You. Psalm 119: 10, 11

Let ________always hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is plenteous mercy and with him there is plenteous redemption. Psalm 130: 7


Maybe these will give you a start on choosing verses for your loved ones...not just your children. Praying God's word is a powerful tool in our arsenal of weapons of warfare.

PREPARING FOR BATTLE

In an earlier post I spoke of going to Camp David and promised to share more verses from Psalms. Got a little off track, so today I'd like to share a few more of those treasures from the Psalms.

R. A. Torrey wrote " The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came...Anticipate your battles; fight them on your knees before temptation comes, and you will always have victory."

Are you facing any battles this week? If so, I urge you to go to your knees and spend time with the Lord. Then go to Camp David and seek out encouragement and "ammunition" to help you fight your battles. God has given us much in the book of Psalms to help us. Here are a few of my favorites:

"Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Psalm 16: 11

"Keep me as the apple of thy eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings". Psalm 17: 8

"I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler and the horn of my salvation and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from my enemies." Psalm 18: 1-3

"He sent from above, he took me and drew me out of many waters, He delivered me from my strong enemy and from them which hated me for they were too strong for me. They [hindered] me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my stay." Psalm 18: 16-18

"For thou will light my candle; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness." Psalm 18: 28

"Thou art he that took me out of the womb; thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb, thou art MY God from my mother's belly. Be not far from me for trouble is near, for there is none to help." Psalm 22: 9-11

"Turn thee unto me and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged. O bring thou me out of my distresses." Psalm 25: 16-17

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Hear, O Lord when I cry with my voice; have mercy also upon me and answer me. I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage and He shall strengthen thine heart; wait I say on the Lord!"Psalm 27 (selected verses)

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth and with my song will I praise Him" Psalm 28:7

"Weeping endures for a night, but JOY cometh in the morning!" Psalm 30: 5b

(All verses are King James Version)

When a verse in Psalms or anywhere in scripture for that matter, especially speaks to you or when God gives you a verse that helps you through a time of adversity, write the date out beside it and maybe a note. Each time you read through your Bible, you will be reminded of how God used that verse to bring encouragement, hope and comfort; how He spoke to you or helped you. It will reinforce your faith and remind you once again how faithful our God ALWAYS is!