Ask God To Show You How To Respond To His Word
This is a great verse to help us remember that we need to put into action the lessons we have learned through reading the Bible.
Dont just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let his Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life!James 1:22
What Is A Good Prayer To Say Before Reading The Bible
The opening prayer for Bible study class doesnt have to be a big, formal, or intimidating thing. Most opening prayers are spontaneous and at the moment but they can be scripted too. Sometimes its nice to have a written prayer that everyone can pray together.
Youll find an example of a sample opening prayer for Bible study as well as tips for opening prayer for worship and closing prayer for Bible study below.
How To Start Reading The Bible: Get Started Today
The best time to start reading the Bible is today. Dont wait until you feel like it. Dont wait until you have three hours of uninterrupted time. Start reading today, even if its just for a few minutes.
And dont freak out if nothing special happens when you read the Bible. You probably wont get goosebumps or feel anything out of the ordinary. Thats not how God usually works.
Rather, as you faithfully read the Bible day after day, God will slowly but surely change you. You will find yourself thinking differently, acting differently, and experiencing different, God-given desires. Reading the Bible consistently truly will change your life.
So dont wait any to get started reading the Bible. Read it today and experience the profound blessings that come with it.
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Prayer Before Studying The Bible
Dear Lord, thank You for Your written Word and the mighty truths it contains. We pray that in the power of Your Holy Spirit, You would open our hearts and minds to the truths that You wish us to see.Prepare our hearts and open our minds we pray, and give us a teachable spirit that is receptive to all that You would have us learn today. Open our ears to hear Your voice speaking to us and remove any preconceived biases that we may have developed in this particular passage of scripture.Guide us into all truth and prevent our own internal voices from speaking out of turn or drowning out the still small voice to Your Holy Spirit. And should we stray from the truth of this passage, would ask that we would not retain any error but rather that we would remember the truth. May we grow in grace and in a knowledge of the Lord Jesus today. Feed our hearts, by faith, with thanksgiving we pray. In Jesus’ name,Amen.
Prayer For Deeper Understand Of Gods Word
Heavenly Father, Who through the power of the Holy Spirit caused all holy scripture to be written for our learning, we pray that we would diligently study Your Word, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest all that You have graciously provided for us, so that we may come to a knowledge of salvation and Your will for our lives.Open the eyes of our understanding and prepare our hearts by the power of Your Spirit, that we may receive Your Word with much joy and rejoicing and may we leave tonight having a deeper understanding of Who You are.May we like Job, wonder at Your glory and majesty as we unfold the precious truths that are contained within its pages and may we say like him, “I have heard of You with my ears but now You opened my eyes to spiritual truths and understanding that I never had before.” This we ask in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,Amen.
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Opening Prayer For Worship And Church
Dear Jesus, you are the author and perfecter of our Faith. You save us and sustain us. Help us to trust in your and to worship whether we have a lot of a little. May our praise bring you glory and remind us of your promises. We love you, Lord, we seek your presence, and we worship you alone.
Father God, we come before you today laying down our pride and arrogance and confess our need for you. We lay our needs at your feet and worship you alone. Without you, we are nothing. Teach us how to worship you in all transparency. Fill us with your Spirit as we open our mouths in praise to you.
Lord, You have told us in Your Word that You hear our prayers. We are crying out to You, we are humbling ourselves before You and seeking Your face. We come together as a church body to seek You. We repent and turn from our wicked ways, thank You for hearing us. Thank you for Your forgiveness and healing.
God, We ask for your help in being a light in every place youve given us to walk. Give us care and wisdom as we live and work with one another. Help us to look to anothers needs before our own, and to always be ready to serve those around us by the power of your love within us. Even in every dark and broken place, for the times we feel like were barely making it through, give us your joy Lord, your grace, and the powerful presence of your peace.
Why Is A Short Opening Prayer For Bible Study Important
A short prayer before Bible study is important for a couple of reasons.
Lets talk really quickly about why these three things are important.
Prayer Before Bible Study Encourages Unity
Do you ever feel like youre doing this whole faith walk on your own? I know I have. I could be in a room full of people, each with their Bible out ready to study, and still feel disconnected. Why? Because we lack a relationship.
Praying together before Bible study creates an atmosphere of unity in fellowship. It reminds us that yes, we all have our own individual relationships with God, but He meant for us to do this life together. Together we create the body of Christ. Prayer before Bible study brings this concept full circle. It brings out the encourager in each of us. We are no longer consumed with our own struggles and needs.
We put courage in one another and walk toward God together.
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Prayer To The Holy Spirit Before Reading The Bible
Before Jesus died, he promised to send a helper in the form of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit acts as a protector, so Christians should pray for guidance and protection before reading the Bible. Below are prayers to the Holy Spirit before reading the Bible:
Oh Holy Spirit, descend upon our hearts and minds. Inflame them with the fire of your divine love. Dear Lord, with the help of the Holy Spirit, let your holy word inspire and instruct our hearts to emulate the teachings of your word. Through Christ, we believe and pray. Amen.
Lord God, the Bible was written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit. We ask the same Holy Spirit to be amongst us as we read the Bible today. Let it open our minds and lead us to accept all truth. May it guide us to live according to your will. Amen.
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The Believers Share Their Possessions
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And Gods grace was so powerfully at work in them all34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales35 and put it at the apostles feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas ,37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles feet.
Footnotes
How To Start Reading The Bible: An In
If youre just getting started reading the Bible, it can be confusing. You may find yourself wondering just how to start reading the Bible.
Its such a MASSIVE book.
And there are so many verses and chapters and books within the overall book.
Where should you start? Is it like a regular book where you start at the beginning? Or can you start reading the Bible anywhere?
What should you do when you read the Bible?
How much should you read each day?
So many questions.
In an effort to simplify things for you, Ive put together this simple, yet in-depth guide on how to start reading the Bible.
Ready?
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Things To Pray Before Opening Your Bible
This excerpt is adapted from Matt Smethursts book Before You Open Your Bible: Nine Heart Postures for Approaching Gods Word . Take part in TGCs Read the Bible initiative.
I might as well begin with an ironic confession: I tend to ignore articles on prayer. Which means if you click away from this one, Im in no position to blame you. If anything, I get the feeling. Whats left to be said about the topic?
The importance of prayer is simply not a breaking headline. Its old news. We know it matters, even if we dont get how it all works. Even if youre not religious at all, you know that followers of Jesus pray. They talk to himor think thats what they are doing. And if you are a believer, well, is there a topic more basic?
If the Christian faith had a curriculum, the class called Prayer Matters wouldnt be an elective for college it would be a prerequisite for kindergarten.
Pray For Satisfaction In The Gospel
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lords holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledgethat you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19
Fourth, we can pray for satisfaction in the gospel. The gospel is an infinite buffet of Gods grace and love. We, as believers, are meant to sit at this table to rest, to play, to be satisfied. It is the reality of Jesus death and resurrection that satisfies our deepest desire to love and be loved. Thus, we ought to pray that we be filled to the measure with all the fullness of God.
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Prayer For Bible Study Leaders
Lord, we thank you for our bible study leader . Give her wisdom and clarity while she prepares each weeks lesson. Help her keep our Bible study on track and make our Bible study a safe place where every person feels welcome and can speak freely. Open up her schedule so she will find extra time to pray and study Gods word. Bless her and her family In Jesus name, we prayer. Amen.
Ask God To Remind You Of His Word Throughout The Day
And finally, here is a great verse to remind you to keep Gods word in your heart throughout the day.
O how I love and treasure the revelation of your word throughout the day I fill my heart with its light!Psalm 119:97
I hope you find these Bible verses to pray before reading the bible helpful. There are, of course, a lot more verses in the Bible that speak of Gods Word. Do you have a favourite you would like to add? Let me know in the comments.
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A Prayer To Pray Before You Read Your Bible:
Father,
Scripture is alive and active, wisely directing our daily lives through preparation, conviction, and encouragement. When we are young in age, faith, or both, Gods Word forms a firm foundation. Infants drink milk for a while before they can handle eating food, and continue to through their transition to solid food. Reading the Bible is the same way. God, You know what we can digest as we continue to grow.
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.
Pure spiritual milk is not tainted with societal conformity. When we are new to reading the Bible, help us learn discernment to know what is false and what is true. To understand correctly what You intend to communicate through Scripture, over what we want it to say or think it might say.
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Luke 2: 4: Open My Eyes To Jesus
This is another way of praying that God would open our eyes to wonder, just with more specificity. The works of God stand as marvelous mountain ranges in the Bible, but the highest peak, and the most majestic vista, is the person and work of his Son.
Bible reading is a regular prompt to own our failures, repent, and cast ourselves on his grace all over again.
As Jesus himself taught after his resurrection, he is the Bibles closest thing to a skeleton key for unlocking the meaning of every text every book, every plot twist, the whole story. First, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself , then he taught his disciples that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled . And in doing so, he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures .
The great goal of Bible reading and study is this: knowing and enjoying Jesus. This is a taste now of heavens coming delights. This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent . This gives direction, focus, and purpose to our study. Let us know let us press on to know the Lord . This forms great yearning and passion in our souls: I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord .
We are desperate for Gods ongoing help to see, and so we pray.
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Pray For Your Eyes To Be Opened
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. Psalm 119:18
First, we can pray for our eyes to be opened. Gods word is full of wonderful, exciting, and even intriguing mysteries. Its full of amazing and awesome stories of Gods power and grace. In short, the Bible is a beautiful book. Therefore, we should pray that God opens our eyes to see the beauty of the story the Bible tells.
Prayers For A Wedding Ceremony
Dear Lord, As this couple begins their lives together on their wedding day, I pray that their hearts will unite as one with You in their desire to make You the center. May this day be the start of something beautiful, a celebration unlike any other. May their lovelike the wedding rings they will wearbe a circle that never ends. Grow that love relationship into one that is patient and kind, not boastful or proud, one that is unselfish and trusting, and a love that protects and perseveres through every season of life.
Lord, This wedding day marks the beginning of a journey you planned for each of us before time. Our lives are in your hands, and we commit to follow wherever you lead. Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Knit our hearts together so we follow you as one.
Keep us from turning aside to go our own way. Make us like-minded, with shared hopes, dreams, and resolve for the future. May we never urge one another to turn back from you. But where one of us is called to go, the other will go, and where one is led to stay, the other will gladly stay. Let us embrace one anothers friends and family as our own. Fill us with a deep faith in you that abides for all time. Unite us on the same path until we see you face to face. Amen.
Further Reading
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Prayer Reminds Us Where Our Focus Should Be
Have you noticed how the circumstances of our life can cause us to lose sight of the things that truly matter most truth and hope?
The truth is that no matter what we face in life, we have hope because of who God is and what Jesus has done for us.
Prayer has a fun way of drawing us back to that reminding us that no matter what, God is bigger. No matter what, God is faithful. No matter what, I am His. So I have every reason to praise and celebrate. Prayer before a Bible study meeting keeps our lives and faith where they should be submitted to God.