There is nothing more powerful in the Universe than the power of the Word of God. He literally created the entire universe with it. In Romans we learn that faith comes from hearing it and hearing comes directly from it. In fact in Romans 1 it tells us that His Word through the Gospel is the power of God for Salvation. In Ephesians 6:17 He gives us His word as the “Sword of the Spirit” as a part of the armor with which we battle the enemy. In fact in Hebrews it says:
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:10-11
These scriptures help us to understand the importance of God’s word in our lives. This has become the foundation stone of my prayer life. However, if you are not used to praying scripture, it can seem like a daunting task. This is especially true if you are not regularly immersing yourself in the Word of God.
Today I’d like to introduce 3 different types of scriptures you can pray and an effective way to pray them. However, you may be wondering how can you find a good scripture verse that is relevant to your situation or need? How can you find a verse that you can stand on or build your foundation on?
I’m not a fan of making things difficult because God went through such great lengths to make His plan so simple. So let’s first briefly look at 3 simple ways to find the right verses:
- Read your bible everyday as if it were you only meal for the next month.
- Use a concordance to look up relevant words and find the associated scriptures
- Use a search engine for verses on a specific topic
Now that we’ve covered that, let’s get into the 3 types of verses. These are: Promises, Principles, and Commands. I’d like to continue with keeping it all simple so here are 3 simple definitions for these types of prayers.
- Promises – Nothing is required from us. These scriptures demonstrate the nature and character of God and His promises toward us because of it.
- Principles – These scriptures require something from us. They promise a specific outcome/expectation based on specific behaviors or principles.
- Commands – These scriptures require obedience to a specific command. They promise a specific outcome/expectation based on obedience to specific commands.
Let’s get into an example of each of these. To do this, I’d like to use a single topic and a verse of each type to demonstrate prayers with.
The topic I’d like to cover is one that used to be one that I struggled with constantly. That is the area of finances and God’s provision for them. Throughout my life I seemed to live in a constant battle of paycheck to paycheck, month to month, desperate need for God’s provision.
First I’ll cover the promise of God since this one requires nothing from us but faith. I say that because the scriptural promises are for His children, those that believe that His word is true. Along these lines it is important to remember two vitally important things:
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And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6 -
If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
2 Timothy 2:13
Now on to the promises…
The promise verse I’m going to use is:
And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19
Remember you don’t need to pray big, long fancy prayers. In fact, Jesus seemed to be fond of very simple prayers as exemplified in the Lord’s Prayer. So if you are going to stand on this promise in your prayers, you may pray something like:
Father, You know my need. I am struggling with my finances. I’ve dug myself into a hole, I have no idea how to get out of. However, when I read your word it promises me in Philippians 4:19 that you WILL supply all my needs according to your riches where you pave the streets with gold. I thank you for being a faithful Father, even when I am not. I give you praise and honor and glory for Your unending faithfulness. I pray this in Jesus’ name.
If you approach your prayers from a verse of principle because you want this process to change you as well, you may want to choose:
Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.
Luke 6:38
When you are praying this verse it is wise to have your prayers mirror the requirements of the verse. Since according to Matthew 26:41, the Lord knows that our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak, it is important for us to lean on His strength because “power is perfected in weakness”, according to 2 Cornthians 12:9. So when you are praying remember to rely on Him to help you achieve that which you lack the ability to do yourself. Here is an example of praying on His principles:
Father, You know my need. I am struggling with my finances. I’ve dug myself into a hole, I have no idea how to get out of. However, when I read your word it promises me in Luke 6:38 that when I give, it will be given to me in abundance. Lord, you know my heart. I’m not naturally a giver, especially when I find myself in need. Give me grace to believe your word. Teach my heart to be a giving heart. Help me to learn to give freely without thought for my own need. I thank you for being a faithful Father, even when I am not. I give you praise and honor and glory for Your unending faithfulness. I pray this in Jesus’ name.
If the verse you are led to is a commandment verse, it is similar to the principle verse because it requires something from you. This time, it requires obedience to a specific commandment. So it is again important to rely on His strength for the same reason. Our flesh can be very weak. However, in this case and honestly even in the principle verse it may require just a big leap of faith. The example verse I am going to use for this is:
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts.
Malachi 3:10-11
Here is an example prayer for standing on this verse.
Father, You know my need. I am struggling with my finances. I’ve dug myself into a hole, I have no idea how to get out of. However, when I read your word it makes promises me in Malachi 3:10-11. In fact, You tell me Yourself in verse 10, to “test you”. When being tempted Jesus told Satan not to “put the Lord your God to the test”. However, here you tell me to “test you”. Lord teach my heart to be a giving heart. Help me to learn to give freely without thought for my own need. As I act in obedience to your commandment, demonstrate your faithfulness to your word in my life. Pour out that blessing until it overflows. Rebuke the devourer for me. Make my life and my finances fruitful. I give you praise and honor and glory for Your unending faithfulness. I pray this in Jesus’ name.
Sometimes, the most difficult verses to pray are the ones that require obedience to commands. However, Jesus told the pharisees that God desires obedience more than sacrifice. Also, while teaching His disciples about praying in John 14:15 He said, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.”
A great thing to keep in mind though are what He said right before this:
Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
John 14:13-14
As you move forward in your scriptural prayer journey, I encourage you to dig deep into the word of God. It brings life, it brings hope, it brings salvation, and it NEVER returns to Him void, without accomplishing all that He sent it forth to accomplish.
May the God of Peace guide and teach you through His Holy Spirit. Be Blessed in Jesus’ mighty name.