Did you ever struggle to have a conversation with someone who only talked about themselves? Me too! Sometimes our prayers are like that. We ask God for things instead of asking Him what He wants of us.
Are you bored and distracted during your prayer time? Do you want to be excited about praying, instead of obligated? Yes, me too.
I found a solution! Donald S. Whitney’s simple method in his book, “Praying the Bible” transforms our prayers into a conversation with God. 1
The Bible is God’s Word to us. Men wrote the Bible, but God inspired it. (2 Timothy 3:16 NLT). Begin by reading God’s Word and then pray about whatever comes to mind. If nothing comes to mind, move on to the next verse. Mr. Whitney recommends starting with the psalms, but his next choice is the Epistles of the New Testament.
I summarize Whitney’s method in this post, but for more details to transform your prayers into a conversation with God, I recommend purchasing the book.
The method
- Scan five psalms and pick two that resonate with you today. (See next section for how to pick your five psalms.)
- Read verse one of your first psalm and pray what God brings to your mind.
- If nothing comes to mind, read verse two and pray what comes to mind.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you get to the end of the psalm, or your prayer time ends.
- If you have more time, read the second psalm and continue this pattern.
It is miraculous how the Holy Spirit supplies topics to pray about using this method. Our confidence while praying grows because we are actually having a conversation with God. He speaks to us through His Word and we answer back in prayer.
How to pick which psalms to pray
Instead of wavering on what psalms to pray today, Mr. Whitney provides a foolproof plan. (This really takes the pressure off!) Start with the psalm corresponding to today’s date. To find your second psalm, add thirty to today’s date. Just keep on the same pattern until you find five psalms to scan through. For example, if today is the 1st, scan Psalm 1, 31, 61, 91, and 121.
You might ask, what about the 31st of the month? Try Psalm 119. There is plenty of prayer material there. Whitney gives a chart at the back of the book, or you can make your own.
Starting this process intimidated me, so I used one of my favorites first, Psalm 23. Don’t worry about doing it correctly. You find your own rhythm as you go. And suddenly, your prayer time becomes fresh and exciting.
Try it now. What have you got to lose? Just think, today we get to have a conversation with God!
Besides the book, Whitney offers how-to videos on YouTube. Here is a link to the first of five videos.
Reference
Whitney, D. S. (2015). Praying the Bible. Crossway.
This is a great idea! I love that you shared it.
Thanks for your comment, Darla! I appreciate your support.
I also like to make a physical list of things to pray about. It’s amazing once you get started doing this. Lots of stuff to pray about. Then with some of your prayer time refer to your list. It helps.
Thanks, Tom! That is a good practice. I used to write down my prayer list in my journal, but got out of the habit of it.