“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” — Ephesians 6:17-18
tThe Bible admonishes us to be praying always and not to faint (Luke 18:1, Luke 21:36). This is easier said than done. Rather than simply obey the Bible I found that I had developed a habit of reading ten chapters of scripture a day or more because I could only force myself to pray for a few minutes at a time. I felt like my prayers were a vain repetition since there’s only so much going on in life at any given time. And if I’m bored by my prayers God must surely be bored as well. So I would read more to overcompensate for my empty prayer life. Not that reading the Bible is a bad thing, but the saints have only had the luxury of a Bible in nearly every home for a miniscule portion of redemptive history. God wants to be accessible to us all at all times. There is simplicity in Christ. Prayer is the simplest and most fundamental practice in our walk with God.
Donald S. Whitney’s little volume titled Praying the Bible packs a lot of power into a small book. In it you will find succinct, practical advice on how to apply the psalms to supercharge your prayer life. His advice centers around the book of Psalms because that book is written for the purpose of giving us the words to praise a holy and unsearchable God. His method centers around selecting a psalm and reading it aloud verse by verse. After each verse or verses you read you let what comes to your mind be your prayer. He uses the example of Psalm 23: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want...” You would read this first verse and see what comes to you. You might thank God for being your shepherd, for providing for your every need. You repeat this verse by verse until the psalm ends or you are ready to stop.
The book also offers a systematic method on how to select psalms based on the day of the month. I found this very helpful because it gives you some structure and discipline. When I go to the gym I know exactly what exercises I’m doing based on what day it is and what muscles I need to work. Using your calendar to guide your psalm selection saves time and gives your prayer life focus and order.
The book also guides you on how to apply these principles to praying through other portions of scripture as well, but it is definitely best applied to the psalms. This method works both individually and in corporate prayer. Overall this is great little book I would recommend to anyone new to Christianity or in need of help keeping the Bible’s command to persevere in prayer. Using this method will help you pray for longer periods of time without boredom or excessive repetition.
"Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD." - Psalm 150:6
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