I’m reading old journals, newsletters, and correspondence for my next book and I’m reminded again how much the discipline of praying God’s word was part of my life when I served as a global worker in Indonesia.

I filled pages and pages in my journals with verses written into prayers for myself, my family, and our work. This practice helped me pray more consistently and confidently while also leading me deep into the Scriptures. It caused me to meditate on God’s promises and I found encouragement for life.

I learned to pray God’s word from Beth Moore’s Bible study, Breaking Free. She taught me that I have two offensive weapons—scripture and prayer. How powerful they are when we put them both together.

Take the … sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Ephesians 6:17–18

In this passage, the author uses the Greek word rhema when he refers to the Bible rather than the more common logos. This infers he wants us to use the individual verses, the specific words of God, not just the Bible in general. My former pastor, Tom Koch, described the Bible as being an arsenal of many swords. We then take out the specific sword we need at the proper time.

So I dove in. I first took notice of the needs, burdens, and temptations that threatened to strangle me. Then I searched my Bible and a concordance for verses pertaining to that subject. For example, when I struggled with feeling rejected, I looked for references to God’s faithful love and acceptance of me.

• For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own. 1 Sam 12:22
• Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Isa 49:15–16

Then I rewrote the verses using the personal pronoun, “I” and addressing the Lord as “you.” 

• Father, for the sake of your great name, you will not reject me, because you are pleased to make me your own. 1 Sam 12:22
• You tell me Lord, that you will not forget me, even as a mother cannot forget the baby at her breast and has compassion on the child she has borne. You have engraved me on the palms of your hands. Is 49:15–16

Lastly, I put the verses on cards and carried them with me. I prayed them every night before bed and saturated my mind with them. Over time, the sense of rejection left me, but I still go back to my arsenal of verses whenever I am tempted to feel this way again.

I also applied this tool when praying for my sons, my spouse, and for our ministry.

For my sons:

• Lord, my prayer is not that you take them out of this world, but that you protect them from the evil one. Jn 17:15
• Lord, teach my children to be like Levi, who got up and followed you when you called him. Mk 2:14

For my spouse:

• Lord, I pray that my husband won’t copy the behavior of this world, but he’ll let you transform him into a new person by changing the way he thinks. Rom 12:2
• Help him take every wrong and false thought captive and give it to you so you can replace it with truth. 2 Cor 10:5

For our ministry:

• Lord, though we have no harvest or fruit in the work here, whatever the outward circumstances, help us to rejoice and find our strength in you. Help us learn to depend on you alone for happiness. Hab 3:17–19
• Let us, your servants, see you work again; let our children see your glory. And, Lord our God, show us your approval and make our efforts successful. Ps 90:16–17

As with all practices, this is not a formula or a quick fix to get what we want or to manipulate God into answering our prayers. Instead, we saturate ourselves in God’s own words and agree with him when we pray scripture back to him. And we can know we pray God’s will when we pray his words (unless we take a verse grossly out of context or claim a promise that is specifically meant for someone else) and we can believe we will receive what we ask for (1 Jn 5:14–15).

While I have grown in my faith and expanded the ways I pray, I miss this simple discipline. So I’m picking it up again.

Will you join me? I encourage you to create your own lists of verses to pray.

PRAYER

Lord God, I take up your word and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. But my desire is not for spiritual formulas or hacks. No, the one thing I ask, Lord, my one desire is to dwell in your house all the days of my life, to gaze on your beauty and to seek you in your temple (Ps 27:4).

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Praying God’s Word by Beth Moore

Breaking Free by Beth Moore