Study 6. Praying and the Bible

A few years ago, I remember waking up one morning really wanting to pray and go after God in my life. So, I found a rhythm—I started going to bed early (incredibly early!) so I could get up before the kids woke and have some quiet time to pray. I need to be honest, part of this was because I was a pastor at the time, so it was expected that I’d have some kind of prayer life.

But even though I wanted to pray, the reality was harder than I thought. My mind wandered, and sitting in the house just thinking prayers often ended up with me falling back asleep.

So, I decided to walk. From about 5 am, I’d spend an hour walking and praying. It was silent outside, still dark, and I’d just walk a set route around my town. The only person about was the milkman. I loved it.

I’d use my iPhone to listen to the Bible for the first half hour—the Bible spoken and read to me. It was so helpful. Often, I’d spend a whole month just listening to the same book or section of chapters, and it empowered me in such a dramatic way.

I’d listen to worship music too, pray over people, situations, and just let God speak to me as I walked home to eat.

All of this happened before my kids woke up. When they did, I’d wake them up and pray with them. I’d bring ideas from the Bible and prayers into my day, and it had a huge impact on my marriage, too—praying with my wife, sharing what I was hearing or praying for.

Does this make sense? Prayer can so quickly become boring and one-dimensional, but it doesn’t have to be. We can be creative with it. But it does come at a cost—it requires time, effort, and as I’ve said before, resilience when life is tough.

If we can build these patterns, and find mates to cheer us on or pray alongside us, then we will—100%—see the impact of prayer in our lives.

I remember once praying and asking God to meet me. I was tired of dry prayers and a dry church experience. I read Psalm 51 every morning for about a month and prayed over sections that spoke to me each day. After a month, I had a dream, so profound that I remember it vividly to this day.

What was the dream? It was an encounter where I felt God’s presence. In the dream, I was with my wife and child (we only had one then). God met me because I was seeking Him and wouldn’t let go until something happened.

If you want to use the Bible in your prayer life, try starting with the Psalms—they’re a great place to begin.