Benefits of Praying Scripture

*This is the third article in a 3-part series on praying Scripture. Here’s a link to the previous articles, in case you missed them: Three Ways We Can Encourage Praying Scripture – Explore the Bible (lifeway.com) and Praying Scripture – Explore the Bible (lifeway.com)

Praying Scripture will transform your prayer life. But, in truth, it’ll do much more than that. The benefits of praying Scripture are evidenced in our thoughts and words long after our prayer has concluded. Here are just three benefits of this valuable practice.

Praying Scripture emphasizes the centrality of God’s Word.
When we set aside time to pray through a verse or passage, we are demonstrating the belief that God’s Word is central to our lives. We’re making an active choice to seek God’s wisdom and ways so that what we learn will shape our hearts, minds, and actions. God’s Word is our source for truth, valuable to us and worthy of our study.

Praying Scripture encourages us to study a Bible passage for application.
God’s Word is useful for “teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Since it holds infinite value, God’s Word is worth studying. Praying a Scripture passage requires us to read it thoughtfully so we can understand it fully. Then, we seek God to show us how to apply what we’ve just read to our life.

Praying Scripture aligns our heart with God’s Word.
Finally, learning how to pray Scripture aligns our heart with God’s Word. Thinking through a verse or passage with the intent of asking God to show us how to incorporate it’s truths into our lives changed our posture. We willingly pursue God’s perspective, yielding our own will to His. This changes how we see our circumstance as well as how we choose to respond to it.

When we approach God’s Word for wisdom and direction, we find it. God is faithful to His Word—and we are the beneficiaries of that promise!