Praying the Word of God

Here are some good reasons why we should pray the Bible – in other words, use the language and words directly from Scripture as you pray:

• It builds faith: Rom. 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

• God is bound to His own promises – pray the things He has spoken and watch what He will do: Num. 23:19 Has God said, and will He not do it? Or has he spoken, and will He not make it good?

• It assures us that we are praying according to God’s will.

1Jn. 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

• It releases the power of God – the power of the possible into our prayers: Mk. 10:27 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

• If we don’t know what to pray, then this method can help us. The Word teaches us to have conversation with the Lord.

• Jesus prayed the psalms: On the cross He prayed directly from Psalm 22v1 and 31v5. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” and “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

Also in Acts 4v24-26. Peter and John reported back to the other disciples after being hauled before the Sanhedrin following the miraculous healing of a lame man in Jerusalem. “When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord, you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "`Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” Here they were using the words of Psalm 2 as they prayed.

• The Word is food for our soul and spirit: Ps. 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

• It opens us up to a deepening of our intimacy and communication with God through a growing awareness of who God is and who we are.

           

• It allows the Word to penetrate our hearts. The Word of God is living and powerful as it works in our hearts: Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

• It opens all our spiritual senses.

• It is a lamp that lights our way and guides our path - it speaks to us and leads us as we follow His words: Ps. 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
 And a light to my path.

Taste & See That He Is Good

Psalm 34:8

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
how good God is.

Blessed are you who run to him. (Message) 

Taste Helps Us To See & Know God

This verse doesn't say, "See and then you will taste that He is good." It calls us to taste, and then our eyes will be opened to know His goodness. The Serpent told Eve that if she would eat of the tree, her eyes would be opened to know – eating God’s fruit opens our eyes to good and evil:

Gen. 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Now He invites us to taste the fruit of His presence so that we have our eyes opened to see and know His goodness. He wants us to taste his goodness. This is one of the first things we see and know about God  - He is Good.

We can only tell so much by looking, touching, hearing, or smelling (coffee smells ok, but tastes horrible) The verse taste and see that He is good, tells us that He is good, but we have to taste and see for ourselves. There is a blessing that comes from seeking Him in such a way that we can taste Him and see/know Him more intimately.

Taste is the most intimate of senses – the final knowing – when we taste something, it is taken and known on the inside. This focus on “tasting” God is a call to know Him more intimately. If we don't know that He is good, we will not press into Him for more.

Many come to God and Church to look – but in order to truly know Him, you have to taste – you have to come close to God.

Food makes itself known as we taste it. We know chocolate by its taste because it makes itself known as we eat it. God makes Himself known in the same way. 

Master chefs use foods to compliment one another. They are able to present layers of flavor to the palate. They create art with the presentation of meals. Knowing this, we can understand that the greatest meals are prepared and laid before us by the Lord every day. The sight, smell, texture and flavor of the Lord’s food is without equal. There are layers of knowing Him that can delight and overwhelm us! Deeper relationship with Him has already been provided for us.

Give us this day our daily bread

God's Goodness:

The Lord showed Himself to Moses as He hid him in the rock. The part of Himself that He chose to show was His goodness:

Ex. 33:19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

Ex. 34:6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth   (God sang of His goodness)

Consider these verses on God's goodness and "eat" them this week. We "eat" these verses by meditating on them and taking them into our lives in the same way that ordinary food becomes a part of us. Allow God's goodness to permeate every part of your day, and may this food give you strength just as ordinary food nourishes, heals and sustains our lives:

Gen. 1:31      Everything He created was good

1Chr. 16:34   Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. (Ezra 3:11; Ps. 106:1; 107:1; 118:29; 136:1)

Ps. 23:6         He follows us all the days of our life with goodness and mercy

Ps. 27:13       He encourages our heart through His goodness

Ps. 31:19       His goodness is great towards those who fear Him

Ps. 33:5         He fills the earth with His goodness

Ps. 54:6         His name is good

Ps. 65:11       He crowns the year with His goodness

Ps. 69:16       His lovingkindness is good

Ps. 107:8,15  He guides us by His goodness

Ps. 107:9       He fills the hungry soul with goodness

Ps. 145:7       He fills our praise with the remembrance of His goodness

Jer. 31:14      He satisfies us with His goodness

Rom. 2:4       His leads us to repentance through His goodness

Rom. 8:28     He causes all things to work together for good

Rom. 15:14   He makes us full of goodness

He has prepared a banquet of His goodness!