If we believe that the Scriptures are a gift from God, just as the Spirit is, then we ought to be shaped by the Scriptures, through the Spirit. And for those of us that have entered into the work of prayer (yes, it is work), we realize that prayer comes form deep within our own spirit.
Jesus summarized his teachings and that of the Hebrew Scriptures with this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. Spiritual formation is the interior work of learning to love God and your neighbor by letting the Spirit of God work on your heart, soul, mind and strength.
We can let God influence us, our heart, soul, mind and strength when we pray and read the Scriptures, and especially when we pray the Scriptures.
As Christians, we believe that the Same Spirit of Jesus makes it's home in us. When we choose to believe that God has grace-fully forgiven us of our sins, we open ourselves up to God himself, His Spirit, the Same Spirit that empowered Jesus. That Same Spirit of Jesus, when it is at work in us and through us, makes all sorts of possibilities come to life - for healing, for hope, for renewal, for a future, for truth, for beauty, for freedom, for love.
One lesson isn't enough to fully answer those questions. But I'll provide an overview here. In posts to come I'll lay out more details on how to pray, how to read the Scriptures and how to pray the Scriptures.
For reference, here are links to other lessons I have done on How to Pray and How to Read the Scriptures.
Here I want to introduce how to pray the Scriptures, since that gets us right into the heart of spiritual formation, while also teaching us some more about how to pray and how to read the Scriptures.
To start, we'll use a Psalm. Ancient Israel's hymnbook for worship was the book of Psalms. They would regularly chant their way through the Psalms, their way of singing worship to God. But for them, singing and praying the Psalms was the same work. We can read the Psalms, but we can also pray the Psalms (and sing them if you really want to!).
For example, let's start with Psalm 32 (I'll include the first few verses here, you can see the whole Psalm by clicking on the link):
1 Blessed is the oneRead through it slowly. Then pray through it by personalizing it - bring to mind a sin you feel guilty about, that you desire forgiveness. Imagine Jesus standing before you, pray as if he is there listening to you. Or, select a phrase that resonates with you, and then repeat that phrase as a prayer throughout the day.
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
As you read through the Psalm, ask God to bring a word or idea to your heart. Enter into a conversation with God about what you are reading and praying.
Question God about it, ask for insight, probe what God might be wanting you to consider, be convicted about, by inspired by.
And especially: what do you need to do in order to help answer your prayer? Again - let God's spirit guide your steps forward as you act based on your praying the Scripture.
To pray through this Psalm is both easier then imagined and harder. It's easy to say the words, to repeat them, to imagine Jesus listening to your prayer, to ask God questions.
It's hard to focus, to trust that God hears and speaks, to enter into the prayer authentically. It's hard to memorize the prayer, to repeat the phrase throughout the day. It's hard to center yourself, to ignore disturbances, to shut out the noise in your head.
But when you don't know what to say, especially when you feel guilt, when you feel shame, when you feel burdened by your past sins and mistakes, use Scripture to put words in your mouth and heart.
These Scriptures have been used for prayer for thousands of years - there is something rich, enduring, and earthy about them. There may be a sense of formality to them, but that can be refreshing compared to the hesitant muttering we may offer up as a prayer.
For other Psalms, try Psalm 1, or Psalm 22 and Psalm 23. Maybe even Psalm 116, 117 or even Psalm 118. Psalm 139 is a classic.
