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Donald Whitney The method of most Christians in prayer is to say the same old things about the same old things.
Jesus reached for the words God had already given in scripture.
Matthew 27:46
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'
Psalm 22:1
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
John 19:28
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), 'I thirst.'
Psalm 69:21
They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.
Luke 23:46
Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!' And having said this he breathed his last.
Psalm 31:5
Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
Scripture is the language of communion with the Father.
Scripture:
Trains us what to pray
Gives us words when we have none
Anchors our prayers in truth
Dietrich Bonhoeffer If we want to pray with confidence and joy, then the words of Holy Scripture must be the solid basis of our prayer.
Why Pray The Psalms?
They were written to be prayed and sung, not skimmed.
They give words for every season of life.
They teach us how to tell God the truth about how we feel.
They reshape our loves around what God loves.
They keep prayer God-centered, not self-focused.
Jesus Himself prayed the Psalms.
How to Pray the Psalms:
1. Set Aside Time to Pray
C.S. Lewis I do not think one can ever emphasize too strongly the importance of making deliberate and regular efforts in prayer.
2. Choose a Psalm
3. Move Through the Text. Pausing and Praying.
Joni Eareckson Tada I have learned to season my prayers with the Word of God. It's a way of talking to God in His language… His dialect, using His vernacular, employing His idioms. This is not simply a matter of divine vocabulary. It's a matter of power. When we bring God's Word directly into our praying, we are bringing God's power into our praying.
God's Word is living, so it infuses our prayers with life and vitality. God's Word is active, so it brings energy, movement, and power into our praying.
If prayer feels boring, the problem isn't who we're praying to, or who's praying, but how we're praying.