“An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked person: There is no dread of God before his eyes, for in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to discover and hate his sin. The words of his mouth are malicious and deceptive; he has stopped acting wisely and doing good. Even on his bed, he makes malicious plans. He sets himself on a path that is not good and does not reject evil.” Psalms 36:1-4
Gary Millar warns that evangelicals have largely given up on prayer in Calling on the Name of the Lord. I fear he may be right. We have appropriately emphasized reading, interpreting, and applying the Bible to our lives, but many of us neglect the spiritual discipline of prayer. After all, God is sovereign; he does not need us to accomplish his purposes. The Lord knows our needs before we ask because he is omniscient. So, why should we pray?
Jesus instructed his disciples in the sermon on the mount that when they pray (not if they pray), do not be like the hypocrites. Jesus expects us to pray. Our Lord is one with the father, yet in the early morning, while it was still dark, he went to a solitary place to pray (Mark 1:35). The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke 11:2). It is a learned spiritual discipline.
Many times, we fall into ruts in our prayer lives, using the same words about the same concerns day after day. Because this practice is routine and devoid of spiritual power, we quickly give up on prayer. We are easily distracted by our phones, social media, concerns for the day, email, etc. How can we learn to enjoy prayer in a deeper way?
Prayer is communication with God. That involves voicing our concerns and listening for God’s voice. It has been helpful to me to practice prayer with my Bible open. After all, the Scriptures are the primary way that we hear from God. In the last couple of months, I have been praying through the Scriptures, specifically through the Psalms. It’s really a simple practice. I read through a phrase or verse then pray about what comes to my mind. It doesn’t matter whether my prayer relates specifically to the text. I pray about whatever the Holy Spirit through the text brings to my mind.
Try praying through the text above. This is my prayer through the Word. “Your word says that sin speaks to the wicked deep in his heart because he has no fear of God. Teach me to have a healthy fear of you. Protect me from being blinded by my sin. Keep me from deceiving myself with flattery that hides my iniquity. Protect my mouth from deceit. I know I am vulnerable, only a step away from disobedience. May the things that break your heart, break my heart. I pray for some of my friends, some are close friends, who have acted treacherously. Their words are smooth and flattering, but in an instant, they have turned to deceit and acted unwisely. I pray that you would overwhelm them with your convicting Spirit. May they feel godly sorrow that leads to repentance. May they be restored by repentance and faith. Give me the grace to rebuild trust even when they have betrayed me. You are my refuge. Help me to praise you at all times because you are good. Keep me from wickedness. May I find my peace in you.
Praying God’s Word keeps my prayers fresh and protects me from falling into a rut. What about you? How do you keep your prayer life vibrant and fresh?