Reading Challenge: Praying the Bible

It’s about time for another blog post. As summer arrives and work increases (not to mention the NBA playoffs), I haven’t had as much time to keep up my reading. But I’m excited to share with you the review of Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney.

This book changed the way I pray.

Mr. Whitney says that if we are bored with praying, the problem isn’t us, it’s our method (page 12). We tend to pray “the same old things about the same old things”, and that’s the way my prayer life had been before I read this book. If we are true, born again and Spirit-filled saints and we find prayer boring—the problem is how we’re going about praying to the God of the universe. We need a better method.

If you’re like me, you most likely pray the same old phrases…over and over and over again. Mr. Whitney shows us a better way in his book.

So what is the solution? Whitney says, “When you pray, pray a passage of Scripture, particularly a psalm” (p. 27). 

It’s so simple, but something that you may overlook. So he takes us to Psalm 23 to show us how it’s done. Here’s a section from chapter 3, “The Method”:

You read the first verse—“The Lord is my shepherd”—and you pray something like this:Lord, I thank you that you are my shepherd. You’re a good shepherd. You have shepherded me all my life. And, great Shepherd, please shepherd my family today: guard them from the ways of the world; guide them into the ways of God. Lead them not into temptation; deliver them from evil. O great Shepherd, I pray for my children; cause them to be your sheep. May they love you as their shepherd, as I do. And, Lord, please shepherd me in the decision that’s before me about my future. Should I make this move, that change, or not? I also pray for our under-shepherds at the church. Please shepherd them as they shepherd us.

And he says to keep praying as things come to your mind, prompted by what you have read until nothing comes to mind. Then you move onto “I shall not want” and the prayer goes on. You continue through the psalm until “(1) you run out of time, or (2) you run out of psalm” (p. 32).

“And if you run out of psalm before you run out of time, you simply turn the page and go to another psalm. By so doing, you never run out of anything to say, and, best of all, you never again say the same old things about the same old things.”

(p. 32)

Instead of always trying to think of words and things to say you end up praying the words of God back toward Him. You end up learning God’s word, meditating on it, and making Scripture central to your prayers, all at the same time. “By this means his words become the wings of your prayers” (p. 32).

It’s a simple, life-changing way to go about prayer.

I was blessed to get to go to Together for the Gospel this year. I had gone to The Gospel Coalition Conference 2017 before that and I had made it a point to meet as many of the speakers as I could. In trying to do the same at T4G, I was able to meet Donald Whitney briefly and tell him that I was really enjoying his book. What he stressed to me was to do exactly what he said to do in chapter 7, “The Most Important Part of This Book”. “Make sure you do what is said there.”

As I encourage you to take up this very helpful book, I also stress to you that when you arrive at chapter seven; do what is laid out for you there. Like he says, “At this juncture you will decide whether the pages you’ve turned (and those ahead) will change your life or be forgotten, whether a transformation in prayer occurs or you add this book to the pile of those you’ve read but do not remember” (p. 63).

This won’t be a book I will forget. It has been one of the most helpful books I’ve read in quite awhile. I really hope you get to check it out! It’s well worth it!