God’s written Word is His personal love letter to our hearts. In it we discover who God is, who we are, and what He longs to do in and through us as His children. His Word is holy, trustworthy, and timely. His Word is the highest authority and a never-failing light shining in the darkness.
While God’s written Word is the anchor for our faith and our relationship with Him, prayer is the breath of our soul! Prayer without the Word becomes guided by emotion and is like a sailboat without a rudder. The Word without personal prayer is lifeless and stale, like a loaf of old bread forgotten at the back of the cupboard.
Prayer is how we talk to God, and, in response, He speaks to our mind via the Holy Spirit as we read and reflect on the written Word. Just as human relationships do not thrive without communication, neither can our relationship with God survive, let alone thrive, without daily communication.
God loves when we talk with Him in prayer. No fancy words are needed. He just wants to hear our heart.
"Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him. When Jesus was upon the earth, He taught His disciples how to pray. He directed them to present their daily needs before God, and to cast all their care upon Him. And the assurance He gave them that their petitions should be heard, is assurance also to us."1
God delights to communicate with us, and He longs for us to lift up our heads and delight in Him each and every day!
“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, and will look up.”
Psalm 5:3
“How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
Psalm 119:103
How May We Have Meaningful Time with God in His Word?
When you open the Bible each day, do you ask your teacher to help you understand it more clearly?
Read: 1 Corinthians 2:12–14 and John 16:13
- Who can help us understand truth? (Ask God for the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth!)
Jesus is the truth (John 14:6) in His written Word.
Jesus is not Lord of our life unless He’s also Lord of our time. Time with Jesus should come before we get distracted using our phones or electronic devices, before we check our emails or social media accounts, and before we engage in work or business. We can discern the leading of the Holy Spirit better while we study the Word when His voice is not competing with technology that we have already opened before the Word! Our goal should always be to meet with Jesus before starting our day or meeting with others.
Read: John 5:39
- What did Jesus say was the focus of all God’s Word? (All Scripture points to and testifies of Jesus.)
Read: Jeremiah 29:13
- Who should we be seeking as we study God’s Word? (Jesus! If we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him!)
Read: Matthew 7:24 and John 14:23
- What should our priority be after finding Jesus in God’s Word? (The Word of God must be practiced, not merely heard. How we honor God’s Word is actually a reflection of how we love the God of the Word. Think on that for a moment!)
God the Father loves to give us the Holy Spirit, so we can see Jesus Christ in every part of the written Word! And as we look for Jesus, our love for His Word will grow.
How Can We Have Meaningful Time with God in Prayer?
Read: Psalm 100:4
- How should we begin our time in prayer? (Come into God’s presence with thanksgiving and praise.)
What is the difference between thanksgiving and praise?
- Thanksgiving is more focused on what God has done for you and me: His provision, protection, etc.
- Praise declares who God is: His names, His strength, His character, etc. Praise and adoration are completely God-focused.
Read: Isaiah 6:5 and 1 John 1:9
- When we praise God for who He is and gain a deeper sense of His awesome holiness, we will realize our own sinfulness afresh. What should we do with our sense of sin? (Confess your sins and find your forgiveness and cleansing in Jesus.)
Read: Matthew 7:7, 8
- What does Jesus invite us to do? What does He promise?
(Jesus invites us to ask, but not just to ask. He wants us to seek and to knock. This shows a growing intensity, activity, and earnestness in prayer. When we pray with perseverance, asking in His name and according to His will, He promises to answer. See John 14:14 and 1 John 5:14.)
Read: John 6:37
- Will Jesus ever turn us away when we come to Him? (Never! If you are hungering and thirsting for more of Him, no matter your condition or circumstances, He will welcome you with open arms. He just says, “Come!”)
Every day, look for a fresh picture of Jesus in the written Word of God. Pray and apply what you’ve discover to the way you live and how you worship Him. Take the promises of God and personalize them and pray over them, applying them to your daily needs. God’s Word isn’t just meant to be read through; it’s also meant to be prayed through.
To learn how to get started praying the Word, visit: https://bit.ly/PrayingThePromises
Silent Activity
- Set a timer for one minute and sit still, waiting for it to ring without looking at the clock.
- Afterward, ask yourself how long that minute felt. Did it seem like an eternity? Was it awkward to sit still for that long?
- Yes, we humans don’t deal well with silence. We feel a need to “fill” empty space with music, busyness, scrolling through our messages or social media, and other activities and noise. But God is calling us out of all those distractions, in the early morning while all is quiet, to be still and to wait on Him. (See Psalm 46:10 and Psalm 25:4, 5.)
- As we wait on Him through time in His Word and prayer, we will see clearer and clearer pictures of who Jesus is, and our hearts will long for more and more and more of Him.
Call to Action, Challenge & Pray
Every day, with a prayerful heart, search for a fresh picture of Jesus in God’s Word. Ask God to impress you with what you should apply to your life for that day. Live accordingly!
For a richer study, review the life of Joseph: Genesis 37–47. As you do, ask yourself, “How does the story of Joseph give us new pictures of Jesus?” There are dozens of parallels.
Another rich study is reading through the entire book of Revelation with one purpose: to find fresh pictures of Jesus! You will be amazed at what you discover!
Pray: “Dear Father God, forgive us for the times we have lost the true focus of searching for Your Son in Your Word. Help us to find Jesus in Your Word daily and to apply what we read to our lives. Deepen our prayer life so that it becomes the most life-giving, meaningful conversation in our day! In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman \ Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
- Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1892), 93.
