“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35 NIV
Jesus set a simple yet powerful example regarding the importance of prayer. It came first. He valued His conversation with the Father, and taught us to pray in every situation. Before we study God’s Word, it’s especially important to pause and pray. Praying before our quiet times helps us in so many ways:
• Prayer clears our minds so we are able to focus on reading God’s Word.
• Prayer prepares our hearts to receive God’s Word.
• Prayer causes us to crave God’s Word.
• Prayer motivates us to apply God’s Word.
• Prayer helps us understand and remember what we study in God’s Word.
If you’re not sure what to pray before you begin studying the Bible, here is a prayer to help guide and prepare your heart and mind for your time in the Word:
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Father,
Scripture is alive and active, wisely directing our daily lives through preparation, conviction, and encouragement. When we are young in age, faith, or both, God’s Word forms a firm foundation. Infants drink milk for a while before they can handle eating food, and continue to through their transition to solid food. Reading the Bible is the same way. God, You know what we can digest as we continue to grow.
“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” (1Peter 2:2 NIV)
Pure spiritual milk is not tainted with societal conformity. When we are new to reading the Bible, help us learn discernment to know what is false and what is true. To understand correctly what You intend to communicate through Scripture, over what we want it to say or think it might say.
“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14 NIV)
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The wonderful mystery of Your Word is the guaranteed lifetime pursuit of the wisdom contained in it. It is a marvel studying the same passage years apart and gleaning fresh wisdom from it. As we grow up to eat solid food in life, our taste buds change. It can take several times trying a new food to develop a taste for it. As we linger longer with You, through Scripture, may we savor and appreciate the rich underlying flavors. God, You are so good to meet us each day, so specific and applicable to our situations, in Your Word.
Thank You for the wisdom contained in the pages of the Bible. Early Christians faced grave consequences for their faith. Before the first copy of the Bible was drafted, let alone distributed, they bravely scattered in the pursuit of spreading the Gospel. Thank You, Father, for their courage and bravery. For those of us who can freely read Your Word from the comfort of our homes and convenience of our screens, let us never take it for granted. Convict us anew of the privilege and responsibly it is to read the Bible.
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Help us to understand what we read today, Father. May the lesson You have prepared for us sink into the marrow of who we are becoming as we follow Christ and seek to live out Your will and purpose for our lives. Lift Your voice above all others and over all distractions as we set aside time to seek You and meet with You. This is the conversation Jesus sacrificed His life for. Through Your Word we get to listen to You, and in prayer and through our lives we respond.
Bless the ears of our hearts to be good listeners, and the mouth of our souls to speak and live out the truth You reveal in our everyday lives. Remind us that all of Scripture points to Jesus, and that He is wisdom and love. Bless our minds to be still and ready to receive Your wisdom. Forgive us for our lack of discipline and obedience, but fill us with the hope of repetition. For You promise that when we seek you with all of our hearts we will find You.
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Search our hearts today, Father. Remove any un-forgiveness, for we cannot fully pursue a life of love in Christ when we are withholding forgiveness. Convict us of our sins and the habits that hold us back from experiencing Your peace. We don’t want to be wasteful people who throw whole plates of food in the trash, so let us not walk away unaffected when we close the Bible. Sew Scripture into the fabric of who we are becoming. Inspire in us a desire to slowly savor every last crumb, knowing it’s the nutrition we need to fuel our bodies, minds, and lives in the way You intended them to function. We want to crave Your Word, Father.
God, You are so good to us. Great is Your faithfulness. Today, we wait in faithful expectation of a fresh revelation from Your Word. Bless this time we have set aside to read the Bible. Stretch our minutes and calm our surroundings. In a pocket of pure bliss, we get to experience the One True God, Our Creator, Our Father, Our Savior, and Our Friend. Let Your will be done in our lives.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
“Megs” writes about everyday life within the love of Christ. She stepped out of her comfort zone, and her Marketing career, to obey God’s call to stay home and be “Mom” in 2011. From that step of obedience her blog, Sunny&80, was born, a way to retain the funny everyday moments of motherhood. Meg is also a freelance writer and author of “Friends with Everyone.” She loves leading her Monday morning Bible study, being a dance mom, distance running and photography. Meg resides in Northern Ohio with her husband, two daughters, and Golden-Doodle … all avid Cleveland Browns fans.
This article is part of our Prayers resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.
Serenity Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer
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Morning Prayers
Good Night Prayers
Prayer for Healing
Prayer for Protection
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