November 2020
Over the next while we at Asbury will be looking at some discipleship skills that will help us walk well in the coming months.
The writer to the Hebrews tells say in
Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) For the word of God is alive and active..
Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) For the word of God is alive and powerful..
That word “active” or “powerful,” in Greek, has the idea of something that “is effective in causing something to happen.” If you need strength, or peace, or hope, or endurance the word of God is effective in causing those things to happen.
One of the best ways to allow the word or God to be active in your life is to pray God’s word back to him. Here are five steps for praying God’s word.
5 Steps for praying God’s Word
Step 1- Determine what you really need from God.
What is it you need from God? Sometimes we know, sometimes we only think we know what we need. Ask God what it is that you need most. He has a way of speaking to you.
Step 2 – Find a Bible verse that speaks into that need
You may know a verse. You can search for a verse. Or you can use the chart below to help you find verse. (Scripture for Life’s Challenges) Keep the passage of scripture short, ideally from one to four verses. If you are in a good place right now find a verse about giving thanks.
Step 3 – Get that word from God into your heart.
Memorization is the best. Writing it out is next best. At very least read the verses slowly a number of times. Meditate on it so that you know what you are about to pray back to God.
Step 4 – Divide the scripture into phrases
If you are writing it out, write each phrase on a different line. If you are looking at it in your bible, divide each phrase with a “/”. (i.e. 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 (NIV) 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,/ the Father of compassion/ and the God of all comfort, / 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, /so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort / we ourselves receive from God.)
Hint. A comma or a period will indicate the start/finish of a phrase. Words like “and” and “but” and “so” probably indicate the beginning or end of a phrase.
Step 5 – Pray each phrase back to God.
Pray the phrase. Then give thanks for what it says about God. Pray into what it says about your situation. For instance, the above example contained the phrase “the father of compassion.” With this phrase we would thank God for his compassion. We would thank God that he is the one from whom compassion comes. Then we might tell him how much we need his compassion right now. We might tell him about how challenging our lives are right now – and how are hope is in how much he loves us. We might ask him to show is compassion in ways that we can understand. Etc. Pray whatever God brings to mind as you look at that phrase and then go onto the next phrase.
It usually good to pray the same verses over 3 to 7 times over the course of week if the verse are speaking into where you are at in life. For when the word of God says something, and we combine that with the power of prayer, God is all over those kinds of prayers. Praying God’s word builds our faith and trust in God. It helps us to rely on God. It helps us to find help from God. The more you use this discipleship skill the better you will become at it.
If you want to hear some great examples of praying the word of God I world recommend the podcast “Pray the Word with David Platt”
Scriptures for Life’s Challenges
| Finding COMFORT when you are LONELY: | Psalm 23:1-6 | Hebrews 13:5-6 |
| Finding COMFORT when you are TROUBLED: | 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 | Romans 8:26-28 |
| Finding COURAGE when FEARFUL: | Hebrews 13:5-6 | Ephesians 6:10-18 |
| Finding the PATH TO SALVATION: | John 14:6 | Acts 16:31 | Romans 10:9 |
| Finding FORGIVENESS in times of CONVICTION: | Isaiah 1:18 | 1 John 1:7-9 |
| Finding GUIDANCE when making DECISIONS | James 1:5,6 | Proverbs 3:5-6 |
| Finding PEACE in times of TURMOIL | Isaiah 26: 3-4 | Philippians 4:6-7 |
| Finding PROTECTION in Times of DANGER | Psalm 91:1-16 | Psalm 121:1-8 |
| Finding RELIEF when you are SUFFERING | 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 |Hebrews 12:3-13 |
| Finding REST when you are WEARY | Matthew 11:28-29 | Psalm 23:1-6 |
| Finding STRENGTH in times of TEMPTATION | James 1:12-16 | 1 Corinthians 10:6-13 |
Where To Find Help, When…
Afraid …………………………………… Psa 34:4; Matt 10:28; II Tim 1:7; Heb 13:5,6
Anxious ……………………………….. Psa 46; Matt 6:19-34; Phil 4:6; I Peter 5:6,7
Bereaved ……………………………… Matt 5:4; II Cor 1:3,4
Bitter or Critical ……………………… I Cor 13
Conscious of Sin …………………… Prov 28:13
Comfort …………………………………… 2 Cor 1:3-6
Defeated ………………………………. Rom 8:31-39
Depressed ……………………………. Psa 34
Disaster Threatens ………………… Psa 91; Psa 118:5,6; Luke 8:22-25
Discouraged …………………………. Psa 23; Psa 42:6-11; Psa 55:22; Matt 5:11,12; II Cor 4:8-18; Phil 4:4-7
Doubting ………………………………. Matt 8:26; Heb 11
Facing a Crisis ……………………… Psa 121; Matt 6:25-34; Heb 4:16
Faith Fails …………………………….. Psa 42:5; Heb 11
Friends Fail ………………………….. Psa 41:9-13; Luke 17:3,4; Rom 12:14,17,19,21; II Tim 4:16-18
Leaving Home ………………………. Psa 121; Matt 10:16-20
Lonely ………………………………….. Psa 23; Heb 13:5,6
Needing God’s Protection ………. Psa 27:1-6; Psa 91; Phil 4:19
Needing Guidance …………………. Psa 32:8; Prov 3:5,6
Needing Peace ……………………… John 14:1-4; John 16-33; Rom 5:1-5; Phil 4:6,7
Overcome …………………………….. Psa 6; Rom 8:31-39; I John 1:4-9
Protected ……………………………… Psa 18:1-3; Psa 34:7
Sick or in Pain ………………………. Psa 38; Matt 26:39; Rom 5:3-5; II Cor 12:9,10; I Pet 4:12,13,19
Sorrowful ……………………………… Psa 51; Matt 5:4; John 14; II Cor 1:3,4; I Thess 4:13-18
Tempted ………………………………. Psa 1; Psa 139:23,24; Matt 26:41; 1 Cor 10:12-14; Phil 4:8
Traveling ……………………………… Psa 121
Trouble, in ……………………………. Psa 16; Psa 31; John 14:1-4; Heb 7:25
Weary ………………………………….. Psa 90; Matt 11:28-30; I Cor 15:58; Gal 6:9,10
Worried ………………………………… Matt 6:19-34; I Pet 5:6,7
[…] As a group (or individual) walk through these 5 steps together. You can use the notes on the Pastors Blog as a primer. Have each one of your group pray a different […]