Praying Scripture

Praying Scripture by Pastor Gary Wayne

Text: 1John 5:14-15

Paying Scripture is repeating His promised, anointed, supernatural Word back to Him – but for you to hear with your ears.

There are Soooooooooo many reasons why this is good.

Praying Scripture puts us in a position of asking according to His will.
It gives us confidence that He hears us and will answer.

When I pray out of my mind, my language, my perception, my perspective, my prayers pass through filters that are in place in my belief system.

Often those filters are put in place based on my experience.

I try to pray in faith, but sometimes even thought I say the right words, my heart can have a different attitude.

But praying Scripture has no filter.
Just like praying in tongues, it is not filtered by my intellect, heart, etc.
It takes me beyond asking for what I think I want.

One of God's blessings to us is that He doesn't answer my prayers the way I want Him to answer.

If it were up to me, I would ask for every hard place to be removed.
Every trial to be taken away.

But it is the trials He brings into my life that strengthen me, and has often taught me to pray.

He allows me to go through things that strengthen me so I can handle His blessings – because without that strength, I couldn’t handle the blessings of God that I want.

In those times, I learn to know God better, and trust Him more.

Praying Scripture is so simple. You may be reading a verse, and it grabs you. All of a sudden, your attention is more intense.

"God that's what I want - what I want my heart to want."

Simply pray the verse. Use that translation's words. Rephrase it in your own words capturing the principle.

Wrap your words around that thought and pray it back to God.

Some Scriptures are already prayers - pray those.
A couple years ago, I started by Googling “Prayers of Paul.”
I picked my favorite ones that seem to speak to my heart.
Then I put them together into one prayer that I would pray over myself before I started my bible reading time every morning.
Some of the verses I put in Gary Wayne translation.

Eph.1:17-19 - I ask that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened, that I may know the hope to which You have called me, what are the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of Your power made available to me as I believe, according to the working of Your mighty power.
Eph.3:16-19"That You would grant me, according to the riches of Your glory, to be strengthened with might through Your Spirit in my the inner man, that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith; that I, being rooted and grounded in love, that I may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – that I might know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that I may be filled with all the fullness of God."
Lk.24:45 "Jesus supernaturally unlocked my understanding to receive the revelation of the Scriptures."
Phil.1:9 I ask "that my love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that I may approve the things that are excellent, that I may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."
Col.1:9-11 I ask …that I would be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that I may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy…"
Eph. 1:17-19, 3:16-19 Lk.24:45, Phil.1:9, Col.1:9-11

Read your verse out of the Amplified, or Passion translation.
These versions purposely use different ways of saying the principal involved in the verse.

Pray go-to verses in different seasons you are in or go through.
Worry - Phil 4:6-7 anxious for nothing,
Direction - Ps.25:4-5 show me Your ways, teach me Your paths.
Ps.23:1-3
Sin - Rom 6:11-14 do not let sin reign, Rom.8:5-6 set your minds on God
Spiritual Warfare - Eph 6:10-13 Spiritual armor, 2Cor.10:3-5 capture thoughts.

MAYBE: Put them on your phone to read.
Make a list and write them on the front or back of your Bible so you can find them easily.
Write the prayer that is on your heart on a 3x5 card and pack it around through your day until you memorize that Word.
Write it on your bathroom mirror. On your refrigerator.