“For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.”

2 Samuel 7:27 ESV

bible.com/bible/59/2sa.7.27.ESV

God speaks to us through His Word. We answer Him by praying His Word back to Him.

“Turn to the Scripture. Choose some passage that is simple and fairly practical. Next, come to the Lord. Come quietly and humbly.

There, before Him, read a small portion of the passage of Scripture to which you have opened… But in coming to the Lord by means of “praying the Scripture,” you do not read quickly; you read very slowly. You do not move from one passage to another, not until you have sensed the very heart of what you have read… If you read quickly, it will benefit you little. You will be like a bee that merely skims the surface of the flower.

Instead, in this new way of reading with prayer, you must become as the bee who penetrates into the depths of the flower. You plunge deeply within to remove its deepest nectar.”

• Madame Guyon

Pray About It:

Choose a psalm and pray it back to God. Read slowly and absorb the spirit of the psalm. This practice should become a frequent part of your time with God. It should act as a perfect segue to prayer. It will also enrich your understanding of God’s Word. Turn the Bible into prayer.

• Robert Murray McCheyne

(The above is adapted from the devotional book entitled Magnificient Prayer by Nick Harrison, p. 362.)