Praying a verse word by word, for your day
It happens that we read the Bible on one side and pray on the other, as if these two gestures had nothing to do with each other. This quest brings them together: you take a verse and pray it word by word, applying it to your day. The Word gives you the words, your situation gives them a face.
What it looks like in your day
The method consists in moving slowly through the verse, expression by expression, turning each part into a request, a thank-you or a commitment.
Let's take a verse from Paul, in Ephesians 6:18, which is precisely about prayer: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” You can pray it like this:
- “Always”: “Lord, I don't want to keep you for certain moments only. Today, I want you to be present on my commute, in my meetings, at my meals.”
- “In the Spirit”: “I don't always know what to say to you. May your Spirit pray in me, and guide me.”
- “All prayer and supplication”: “I thank you, I ask you, I entrust to you. Help me not to limit myself to a single way of speaking to you.”
- “For all saints”: “Think of Karim, who is going through a bad time. Support him.”
For a specific day, you can also connect each expression to a moment: the ten o'clock meeting, the afternoon appointment, the conversation you dread.
A few verses that lend themselves well to this exercise: Psalm 86:11 (“Teach me thy way”), Psalm 90:12, Colossians 1:9-10, Proverbs 3:5-6.
If you are short on time, pray only two expressions of the verse. If you are a beginner, choose a verse that is already a prayer. If you are shy, you can write your prayer before saying it.
What the Bible says
Paul repeatedly asks us to pray with the help of the Spirit:
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”
This instruction is addressed to anyone connected to God. The psalmist, for his part, offers a very good verse for this exercise:
“Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.”
You can pray it sentence by sentence: “Teach me thy way” (I want to learn to act like you); “I will walk in thy truth” (I want to remain faithful); “unite my heart to fear thy name” (I want to truly honor you). Psalm 90 offers another request, very suited to a day: learning to number our days well (Psalms 90:12).
Pitfalls to avoid
Reciting the verse without personalizing it. Praying a verse is not repeating it: it is adapting it to your life. If your prayer has no link with your day, start over.
Twisting the verse. Praying the Word doesn't mean bending it to your desire. If the verse speaks of patience, don't turn it into a request for quick success.
Staying in the words. After praying, leave a silence: God may answer your prayer with a flash of light, a peace, an idea.
Always choosing the same verses. Your favorite verses are precious, but widen the range: a psalm, a letter of Paul, a saying of Jesus.
Forgetting the original meaning. Before praying, make sure you understand who the verse is addressed to and in what situation. Understanding makes the prayer more accurate.
Today, take a verse and pray it expression by expression, thinking of your day.