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If you are wanting to see your prayer life become more effective and powerful, we encourage you to take 30 days to read and pray through the Psalms with us. Using Scripture to guide your prayers is powerful because you know you are praying according to God’s will.

• “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” 1 John 4:15.

If you are praying in accordance with what pleases God as found in the teaching of Scripture, then you can know for certain that you are praying according to his will. Here are some suggestions for helping you pray in this manner as your read and pray through the Psalms.

1. Begin with prayer.

Ask God to reveal himself to you as you read. Ask him to teach you by his Holy Spirit.

2. Read through the Psalm.

Read through the entire Psalm so that you can better understand the author’s emotions and thoughts.

3. Take verses in the Psalm and personalize them as you pray them back to God.

You can thank God for his character and attributes that are revealed in the Psalm. You can pray for yourself and may find that you share many of the same emotions that the Psalmist had. Pray for others. Let it motivate you to pray for your spouse, your children, family members, friends, church, or co-workers. Starting with Psalm 1, here is an example of how you might use Scripture to direct your prayer time.

EXAMPLE

Psalm 1:1-2

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

Prayer: Father I thank you that your law and word is good. I thank you that you have revealed yourself to us through your word. I ask that you would give me the strength not to walk in the counsel of the wicked. Help me to find my delight and satisfaction in your word. Help me to meditate on your word day and night.

Open my eyes that I may understand the power of your word for my life. I also ask that my children would delight themselves in your word as they grow older. I pray that they would walk in the counsel of good friends and not in the way of the wicked. Place good influences in their life. Instill in them a love for you and your word.

Thank you God for the blessing and favor that comes as a result of delighting ourselves in your law.

This is just a suggested prayer. The point is to make it personal and pray according to God’s will. Over the next 30 days, take verses from the Psalms as you read and allow them to guide your prayers to God, for yourself, and others.

Download 30 Days in the Psalms.