Here is my challenge for you today...praying through scripture. Have you ever done it? No? Don't know how? It's okay...I didn't either. I attended this Worship God Conference. A long weekend Conference dedicated to giving God more and more glory. Dedicated to praising his name and standing in awe of him...something us North American Christians struggle with sometimes.
To prepare myself I like to read something from the Gospel. Not always a familiar story but most times a familiar story. I like to read it like I've never read it before. I am determined to not let familiarity paralyze me. This morning I read this from the Gospel, Matthew 27 starting in verse 45.
"Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lema sbachthani?' this is, 'My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?' And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, 'This man is calling Elijah'. And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, 'Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.' And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, 'Truly this was the Son of God!'"
um....are you in awe? Why the bolded part? I love that part because it's a picture of what will happen when we are raised with Christ! It's beautiful! We serve an incredibly amazing God!
So what next? Pick a Psalm. This morning for me it was Psalm 146. Why pray through scripture? Well, often we lack the desire to pray. Often we lack the knowledge of what to pray about. Often we fear we are not praying right or selflessly enough. Praying through Scripture gives you guidance and allows you to incorporate the Living Word of God in your time of praising and honoring Him.
Here is an example of what it looks like:
"Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being."
Father God! Oh Holy One! Almighty God! Beloved! Creator! Yahweh! Help me to praise you in the morning and in the evening. Help me to seek you everyday of my life and praise you with my thoughts and with my words. Let the meditation of my heart and the words of my mouth be pleasing to you O Lord my God!
"Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish."
Father help me to seek you and trust you only. Help me to turn to you first NOT man when I experience hardship or trials. Because there is salvation in your son Jesus Christ!
"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them,"
Thank you Lord, for choosing me. I don't know why you did and I know I lack gratefulness for it but Thank you! I am so undeserving of your love and your grace, yet you selflessly give. Thank you Lord that my hope is in you!
"who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry."
Thank you Lord for your faithfulness. I praise you for saving the oppressed. Although they may suffer on earth here for you...I thank you that they have their eyes fixed on their eternal value. I thank you that you will bring justice to those who persecute those who are yours. I pray Lord for my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who are being killed for your name sake. I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ who are being mocked and scoffed at because they love you. I pray for your strength Lord and their perseverance to keep going. Earthly treasures and earthly pleasures all are passing...but in God are awesome splendor, love and everlasting Joy!
"The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous."
your turn to practice...what does the Lord bring to your heart to pray right now? ...
Why do I challenge you? Because there are always ways to learn how to glorify our God more. One way is to sing through prayer His Living Word back to him!
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