As Christians, we know that reading our Bible is one of the most important things we can be doing in on a regular basis. Along with being in God’s word, we know that prayer is also vital for our relationship growth with God. But, have you ever thought about combining the two? This is where my 4 prayers for during Bible study come into use. I use to think that reading the Bible was separate from praying to God. Why? I have no idea, but then I got to thinking. Why not pray throughout my Bible study sessions?
This may be a no brainer to you, but to me, this was such a huge idea! I wanted to intentionally pray throughout reading God’s word. This is why I’ve come up with 4 Prayers for During Bible Study. Sure, there are many right ways to pray, and the prayers we talk about today are what work for me. Tweak it if you want. This is one of five blog posts/podcast episodes in my Toolbox Mini Series.
Here’s a peek into the Toolbox mini series (bullet points clickable):
- 5 Elements of a Consistent Bible Study (episode 291)
- 4 Prayers for During Bible Study (episode 292)
- 4 Apps to Help You Understand the Bible Better (episode 293)
- 10 Newly Released Bible Studies (episode 294)
- 4 Tips to Memorizing Scripture (episode 295)
Some backstory: Have you ever accidentally turned the discipline of reading your Bible into something you check off on your “Good Christian Checklist”? Eek! Somewhere along the way, this snuck up on me and I realized…”Man, I would hate to be in a relationship that felt like a check list.” Did I call that person today? Check. Did I do something nice for them today? Check. Did I hang out with them today? Check.
That’s exhausting, and that’s not a relationship. Or at least, not a great relationship. I want a great relationship with the guy who saved me, not a checklist. Enter: prayer! Over time of praying while reading my Bible, I was able to notice a difference in the deeper growth, not only in my reading time, but in my prayer life too. I want you to have that too. Woohoo! Let’s get started.
Prayer for Discipline
Reading your Bible regularly is great, but sometimes we fall short of our own standards. A prayer that has helped me grow is the prayer for discipline. I want to want to read my Bible, but sometimes I lack the desire and discipline to actually dive into the word. Maybe I’m exhausted from lack of sleep, or overwhelmed with a busy schedule for the day.
Regardless of what each day brings, I want to want to read my Bible. This is why I must regularly pray for God to shape my desires into what He wants when it comes to Bible reading (along with everything else that is good for me). God promises to sanctify us, so I know that over time, the “want to want to” becomes the “want to”. I can testify today, that this is happening in me, and I love to read God’s word. Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus!
It’s like getting your earthly body healthy. Sometimes I lack the desire and discipline to workout and eat what’s good for my body. Name your worldly struggle, we can all empathize to some degree with the “want to want to” attitude. This is why praying for desire and discipline is so important. We will regularly fail ourselves because we’re human. Below is what my typical prayer for discipline sounds like:
God, thank you for the promise of sanctification. Please give me the desire to want to read my Bible. I know it’s good for me, it’s kingdom work, and it never returns void. Help me develop a deep love of your word. Align the desires of my heart to line up with what you want for me. Help me develop the discipline to regularly read my Bible.
Prayer for Preparation
Now that we’ve prayed to change the desires of our hearts to be aligned with reading scripture, we come to the part when we open the Bible. I have learned that inviting the Holy Spirit into my reading time helps my heart posture to be receptive. We know that God’s word is alive and with each reading, something new can jump off the pages, even if it’s a story we’ve read hundreds of times.
Praying for our hearts to be prepared for the upcoming Bible study session, helps us focus on our relationship with God, and point it back to His working in us. Through Him we’re able to have the opportunity to connect through prayer and through written word. I never want to take advantage of this gift. This prayer for preparation helps keep me humble. Here’s what my prayer for preparation typically looks like:
God, thank you for the ability to have access to your word. Thank you for being available to spend this time with me. I invite you, Holy Spirit, into this time of scripture reading. Open my heart and mind to hear what you want me to hear. Let what you want to say be obvious to me, because I don’t want to miss what you have to say.
Prayer for Wisdom
We’ve prayed for desire and discipline, and we’ve prayed for prepared hearts and minds. We’ve invited the Holy Spirit into our time of reading, and now, God is going to be nice enough to help us even more! The third prayer I like to pray during Bible study time is the prayer for wisdom. Reading the text is one thing, but being able to interpret and understand is a whole other level.
Between difficult to pronounce names and towns to verses about boils and leapers, the Bible can seem like it’s hard to understand. This is when God does His thing and helps us out! Thanks, God! God reveals wisdom and understanding to His people, so explicitly asking for help in this department is something I need to regularly do. I don’t pretend like I know it all, understand everything, or even how to pronounce all the names. If you’re like me, you’re nodding along. Look at us go. Here is what my prayer for wisdom typically looks like:
God, I’m so grateful that I get the opportunity to read your word. I know I don’t always know what it means, so thank you for being the help I need. Please give me wisdom and understanding as I read your word today. Guide me in what the text meant then, what it means now, and how to see you in the story of what I read today.
Prayer for Application
The fourth prayer we’re walking through today is a prayer for application. If you’re walking through these prayers for during bible study, you’ve asked God to give you desire, prepare your heart, and given you wisdom. Now it’s time to take what we’ve read and understood, and put it into practice. This is why the previous prayer for wisdom is so important. How can we apply what we don’t understand?
The prayer for application helps us deepen our discipline of Bible study. We can take our new knowledge and follow God’s calling on how to live out thr reading in our daily lives. Whatever it is that you read in your Bible today, know that there is a way to apply why the God is communicating to you. Here is typically what my prayer for application looks like:
God, thank you for sending a helper to give guidance on what you’re saying through your word. Please help me take what I have read today, and help me live it out as I go about my day. Help me keep this new insight at the forefront of my mind, and help me know when and how to act according to what you say in the scripture.
The 4 Prayers for During Bible Study have helped me so much in my spiritual growth. I’m getting more out of my time reading the word, and it’s nice knowing that I’m not reading alone because God is right there with me. Remember, keep these prayers in mind next time you sit down to read scripture, and tweak them as needed. Be sure to check out all five episodes of my favorite Bible study tips in the Toolbox Mini Series.
Links from the Show
- Toolbox Mini Series (episodes 291-295)
- Witty & Gritty on Instagram
- 5 Elements of a Consistent Bible Study (episode 291)
- 4 Prayers for During Bible Study (episode 292)
- 4 Apps to Help You Understand the Bible Better (episode 293)
- 10 Newly Released Bible Studies (episode 294)
- 4 Tips to Memorizing Scripture (episode 295)
