The German martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, reminds us that when we pray Scripture, we are praying with Jesus: All prayers of the Bible are such prayers which we pray together with Jesus Christ, in which He accompanies us, and through which He brings us into the presence of God. Otherwise, there are no true prayers, for only in and with Jesus Christ can we truly pray. If we want to read and to pray the prayers of the Bible and especially the Psalms, therefore, we must not ask first what they have to do with us, but what they have to do with Jesus Christ.
Following the example of Christ and the early church, praying the Psalms can help us focus on God rather than on our own need for self-expression. Other examples are found throughout the New Testament, such as —
Ephesians 1:16 – 23; 3:14 – 19
Philippians 1:9 – 11
Colossians 1:9 – 14
1 Thessalonians 3:11 – 13
Revelation 4:8
Revelation 5:1-9
Prayer: Lord helps me to pray the prayers found in the epistles of the Apostles Peter, John and Paul. May like Epaphras in Colossians 4:12-13 I want to pray for the church advancement and salvation of the unbelievers.
Continue reading with “Prayer through giving our treasures to God.”