Pray the Bible

At Sonrise Church, during the 15 minutes before our worship service on Sunday, a different brother or sister takes turns leading us in prayer.

At first, I thought this would simply be a time to pray for God’s blessing on that day’s service.

However, the format gradually changed and now, each leader shares a passage of Scripture, shares some thoughts about the passage and then leads us in prayer according to that encouragement.

On August 16, a leader taught us about “praying the Scriptures,” and shared that he prays these prayers for Sonrise, One Church and another church that he used to attend when he lived in another city.

How about praying for your church, or Christian fellowship you have, in this way?

The passages he chose were as follows:

“ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.” Colossians 1:9-12 New International Version

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. …” Ephesians 1:17-19 NIV

Incidentally, the prayer led by another brother the previous week was from Philippians:

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11 NIV

I believe that these prayers that are aligned with God’s Word are being heard, and by the declaration of the scriptures, God is building up His church.