Praying Scripture

Welcome Scripture: Psalm 95 Scripture-based Songs Prayer Service:Choose a passage of Scripture to pray together. Choose one that might be familiar. Not too long. Recommendations: Psalm 23, 46, Phil. 2:1- 11; 4:4-9; Rev. 1:9-18. Prayer is the atmosphere of revelation, in the strict and central sense of that word. It is the climate in which God’s manifestation bursts open into inspiration. P. T. Forsyth, The Soul of Prayer

[FIVE MINUTES] READ READ – one of the passages above (Or, choose another bite-sized section of Scripture or short chapter). Have several people read the passage in different versions. Who are the players, people, places, their words and acts? Get a grasp on the main ideas. If the passage is conceptual, personalize the characters. Watch for movement. Observe interactions. Breath in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Augustine

[FIVE MINUTES] REFLECT REFLECT – Now, quietly walk through the passage with Bibles open before you. Check for accuracy. Confirm facts, but this is more about your own heart exploring the narrative. You are inside the passage, walking with the Biblical narrator. Ask the question: What one verse, phrase, or one word captures your attention? Have people quietly speak out – the word, the phrase, right out of scripture. Don’t fear quiet. Encourage people to come to the altar with the Bibles, kneel among the pews. Find a quiet corner. Get alone, but stay in the group. Listen for God’s voice out of the passage. I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day. Abraham Lincoln

[FIVE MINUTES] [FIVE MINUTES] REASON/WRESTLE REASON/WRESTLE – Nudge everyone onward, but stay inside the passage – and in a spirit of prayer and quiet. Whether you are in the ‘heavenly places’ of Ephesians or in Psalm 23’s mountain pass; whether you and David are a few feet away from the towering Goliath or you are on Patmos with John – ask, “What does this mean to me – in this moment, this place, on this day?” Encourage participants to quietly dialogue with God inside the passage. Meditate. Consider the key players. Urge them, “Pray. Use the Bible’s language and connect your situation to the narrative.” Question – Yes, question. Gasp! Stand in awe at what the Bible says. Wonder! Ideas may explode in your heart. Light will come, not just about facts and actions, but motives and character. Our ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer as a means for getting something for ourselves; the Bible idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself. --Oswald Chambers

[FIVE MINUTES] REST REST – Stop wrestling and wondering. Get still. Quiet your mind. You are no longer probing the passage for meaning. Let God read you! Let him talk. Urge them quietly: “Don’t hide doubts or fears. No fake faith. Be authentic. Slow down the inner dialogue. Prayer is not merely a spirited conversation with the self over an open Bible. The Scripture speaks. Logos does become rhema.” God may lift a passage off its hinges and burn into your heart. But the Holy Spirit also speaks. His words are consistent with Scripture, yet, they represent another voice beyond the inner dialogue. Quiet yourself for such a word. Is there an attitude or action to be changed? A promise to be claimed? A blessing to be received? Ask, “What is God saying to you? Have individuals share impressions, words from the Lord, Scripture that came alive, assurances out of the promises by the Spirit.” To pray in the Spirit means to pray in harmony with the Word of God, which He has inspired.

[TEN MINUTES] RENEWAL/BECOME RENEWAL/BECOME. Christianity is not merely a matter of the will. It is not seeing a Biblical principle and then by sheer volition, applying it to our lives. It is not simply new information, but transformation, by the Spirit, consistent with Scripture. Let prayer, over the Bible, inform you. Then, let the Holy Spirit make that new, renewing your heart, giving the power to flesh it out and live it! What – in you - is God now calling to newness? Prayer is partnership with God in His planet- sized purposes. S. D. Gordon

IDEAS Have a time of open microphone praying – people praying out, not merely sharing - what they encountered in the Scriptures during the prayer time. Do ‘pop-corn’ praying. This works with smaller groups. Have them spontaneously complete the phrase, “During the prayer time, God impressed on my heart [thus and so] … spoke to me … I saw … felt … sensed … Break into small groups. First, take time for people to share their experience. Then have them pray one for another. The mightiest prayers are often those drenched with the Word of God. Herbert Lockyer

Great Days of Prayer 1 st Sunday of Each Quarter Check for resources. Fresh resources each quarter. P. Douglas Small, Coordinator of Prayer Ministries PO 1245 Kannapolis, NC The only power that God will yield to is that of prayer. Leonard Ravenhill