Every Christian recognizes the importance of the Word of God. As we read the Bible, we learn more about God, His ways, and how to navigate life as His child. We draw comfort, encouragement, correction, and direction from the Word. One of the most powerful ways I’ve experienced the Word is by praying through it. When I learned to do this, I noticed a marked difference in myself—I could memorize it more easily and internalize it deeply as I prayed. Since not everyone has learned how to do this, I wanted to offer some simple steps so you can begin praying the Bible too.

When you hear the word prayer, what comes into your mind? What does prayer look like to you when you hear the word?

I would suggest that for the majority of people, prayer means asking God for something.

In this post, I would like to share some thoughts on a few of the more well known forms of prayer. My hope is that this will broaden our thinking and potentially even our own practice of prayer.

We need to hear both Jesus’ voice and His heart. Doing that requires a particular posture of our own hearts. A verse that is dear to me is Proverbs 16:1.

The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. -Proverbs 16:1(NKJV)

Most translations have the word ‘plan’ rather than ‘preparations.’ Yet the Hebrew word means to arrange or set up, thus I think preparations is the better translation. Imagine inviting someone over for dinner. My wife prioritizes having everything ready before guests arrive, which means I need to have the same focus. So, there is a plan for the meal but most of the work is preparing more than planning. The table is set, the house is cleaned, and the food is ready, everything is prepared.