In his book Praying the Bible, Donald Whitney encourages us to do just as the title suggests. When we pray, we should seek to pray according to the will and ways of God (Matthew 6:10; John 15:7; Romans 8:26-27). What better way to do this than to pray through a verse or passage of Scripture? The Bible, after all, is God’s word, inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is the very revelation of God’s heart, thoughts, and will to us.
The method that Whitney proposes for praying the Bible is simple:
To pray the Bible, you simply go through the passage line by line, talking to God about whatever comes to mind as you read the text. See how easy that is? Anyone can do that. [1]
Ephesians 1 was a part of this week’s Bible Reading Calendar. Here is an example from 1:3-6:
The Text
Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One. (Christian Standard Bible)
The Prayer
Father, I thank you for the great blessings you bestow on us through Jesus. There is nothing you hold back from your sons and daughters. You delight to do good to us and to give us good things, beginning with the goodness of yourself. I thank you that you chose us in Christ to be your people, without flaw or blame before you. I praise you because this is not my own work or anything that I have earned, but is all because of your magnificent grace. Therefore, may I not be prideful in my religion and faith, but may I seek to share your love and glory and grace with others. May I be as kind and loving to them as you are to me. May they, too, find life in Christ. Amen.
I would encourage you to pray though that passage of Scripture today. You can use the prayer above or, even better, you can pray where your heart leads as you reflect on those verses.
[1] Donald Whitney, Praying the Bible (Crossway, 2015), 33.
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