Over the years, I’ve approached my devotional time by breaking it into segments: Bible study and prayer. My structure was similar to th e one Kathy Howard tells about in her post, “What My Quiet Time Looks Like” except I would do my intense personal praying after I read the Bible. I would read and study. Then I would pray, after the model of the Lord’s Prayer or the Acronym ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication).
Prayer was separate from Bible study.
There is nothing wrong with what I was doing. I was growing in my understanding of God’s Word. I was talking to God. And I was faithful to meet with God in some form every morning.
But something felt incomplete.
When I recently read Timothy Keller’s book, Prayer. I realized my prayer life could be even richer. Keller explains that when we read the Bible, God is talking to us because they are His words. I get that. I agree. But Keller also says, in any conversation, it’s the socially proper thing to respond to someone who is speaking to you. That shows you are listening.
I was letting God speak to me. And then I talked to Him but not about the same topic. I was compartmentalizing my quiet time. Bible study and prayer. More like—Bible study and then prayer.
Is that how you talk to a close friend?
Imagine that kind of conversation with another human being. They would talk to you. You would listen without interruption. Then, without acknowledging or responding to what they said, you would talk about something entirely different. Worse yet, your talking points would be a list of requests that sometimes sounded rather insistent.
Doesn’t work, does it? Not a great way to build a strong, close friendship.
Conversation is always a two-way street. The best discussions happen when each person contributes to the conversation and builds on what the other says. I love the times I’ve talked with a mentor or teacher that gives me a chance to ask questions and feedback what I hear them saying to me. I take what they tell me, plug it into the correct boxes of my knowledge and experience, and then find ways to use their wisdom and expertise in my own life.
That’s what happens when we bring God into the loop of our time of Bible study. As God speaks to us through His Word, He wants to hear us respond to what He has said. Prayer and Bible study happen simultaneously.
How do we merge prayer with Bible study?
Here are some tips on how you can engage with God as you read your Bible.
- Envision that God is “in the room,” sitting beside you as you read His Word together.
- Thank God for what He has said. Thank Him that He is all those things the Bible portrays Him to be.
- As you feel yourself responding to what you read—gratitude, questions, reactions, or conscience pricks—form those internal thoughts into a prayer. Say your thoughts directly to God as if He is in the room, sitting beside you—because He is!
- Ask God to teach you new things about Himself, to see His words with fresh eyes, and to show you how you can take His wisdom into the rest of your day.
- When the context calls for it, personalize the Scripture you are reading. Turn David’s prayers into your prayers. For example, read Psalm 121 as if you are saying the words directly to God.
Does this sound like a lot of extra time and effort?
It doesn’t have to be. It can be as simple as saying, “Ok God, what do You want me to see in this passage?” Or, “What’s one thing You want me to take into the rest of today?” When I ask those simple questions, I’ve noticed that God’s Holy Spirit will make a connection between what I’m reading and the issues I’m facing that day. That’s when it gets exciting because then I know we’re having the kind of deep intimate conversation that good friends have. And by asking those initial questions, you are showing the Lord that you are aware of His presence, that He is indeed “God in the Room.”
What about my prayer list?
God’s line of communication is still open. When you leave the room of your devotional time, He walks out that door with you. You can continue a running conversation with the Lord throughout the day and talk to Him about whatever is on your heart.
I admit, I’m still growing, and reading the Bible together with God is still rather new to me. What works for me in my devotional time may not fit the mold of your life. What’s important is that you and I keep reaching out to God—talking to Him and listening to what He says through His Word. For when we listen to Him, ask questions, clarify what He is saying, and hammer out how we can apply His words to our own life, we become better equipped to be “doers of the Word and not hearers only (James 1:22).”
Practice Makes You Better
I’m so grateful for God’s kindness that will never say, “You didn’t put your prayers in the right structure so I’m not listening to you!” God hears us whenever we cry out. But He knows and He wants us to know that interaction with Him can be so much more.
Through His love, He longs for us to become more comfortable in our conversations with Him. As we discuss His Words with Him, we’ll discover how He thinks and how He operates. That, in turn, helps us fine tune our prayers according to His will.
Brother Lawrence, a 17th century monk expressed this concept of bringing God into all we do in his classic work, aptly titled “The Practice of the Presence of God.” Not only is God with us; He is available to have a running conversation with us as we go through each day. He invites us to center our lives around Practicing the Presence in everything we do.
Even Bible study. Especially Bible study.
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