TCM Devotions: Praying the Scriptures

By Gala

Genesis 22:1-19 Abraham Tested
"..and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed."

In order to receive, the prerequisite is obedience. Before God blessed Abraham as the father to all nations, he tested him with his own son. “Here I am” says Abraham repeatedly. God is faithful. God is worthy and we are needy, therefore, we need to be obedient in coming to God on a consistent basis with prayers. The Bible teaches us how to pray, Once we use the Bible as a guidebook, our prayers are Scripture-led and worship-based rather than a long list of immediate requests.

A except from A Surefire Starting Place, by Daniel Henderson

"I have learned that the best way to start at prayer time is with this statement: “Let’s all turn in our Bibles to....”  Of course, I have written extensively in several books about how to lead prayer times from the Scriptures.  Here are eight reasons why the Bible is the best starting place for prayer times:

• First, the Scriptures reveal to us the character, names, and works of God -- turning our thoughts God-ward rather than man-ward.
• Second, as we follow the pattern Jesus gave us, the Bible provides endless insights about our Father in Heaven and the holiness of His name.
• Third, the Bible also gives us language for our prayers that is according to the will of God, since His word is His will.
• Fourth, the Bible is living, active, and penetrating and reveals the real needs of our hearts and lives, taking us beyond surface prayers about circumstances and people (Hebrews 4:12).  This leads to authentic confession and trust.
• Fifth, the Bible unites those who pray as every heart and mind is aligned with God and His word.
• Sixth, the Bible empowers us to pray in faith since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). 
• Seventh, as the Bible inspires faith, our prayer time is pleasing to God because we are coming to Him in the truth of who He is, confident that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him (Hebrews11:6).
• Eighth, the Bible prepares us for victory in the spiritual battle.  As our prayers are infused with Scripture we are equipped to take the sword of the Spirit, God’s memorized and spoken word, as we confront temptation (just as Jesus did in the wilderness) (Ephesians 6:17; Matthew 4:1-11).

So, the next time you pray together, don’t misfire.  Instead, allow God’s word to work powerfully to bring great blessing and benefit to your prayers.  He is worthy of it and we are in need of it."

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