Prayer is one of the ways we can satisfy our inbuilt longing for God. The Psalmist says, “As a deer longs for a stream of cool water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for you, the living God” (Psalm 42:1-2a). Prayer helps us express our deep desire for God and encounter God’s presence. While there are many ways to pray, focusing on praying through Scripture can enrich our spiritual lives and the lives of our congregations. Through the words of Scripture we turn our thoughts to God and experience God’s constant love.

Yet prayer, like all spiritual practices, doesn’t always come easily. It takes awareness of God’s presence and repetition of the practice to make prayer a habit. In The Sacred Meal Nora Gallagher says, “The purpose of a spiritual practice is to help us stay awake. Hidden in this kind of repetition is the chance that on any given day, the mind or the soul will connect with what is waiting to connect to us.” Spiritual practices keep our senses alert and keep calling us back to God. Creating Scripture reading practices can keep us awake and draw us into prayerful connections with God.

Here are three Scripture-based prayer practices to try with your congregation.

Lectio Divina

Have you ever noticed that certain words or phrases stand out to you while reading Scripture? They seem to speak directly to you. The traditional practice of Lectio Divina helps us pay attention to these words and phrases and see what God is saying to us through Scripture. This practice originated with a group of monks over a thousand years ago, and has been helpful to many traditions since. As we identify with what we are reading, Scripture becomes a prayer spoken between God and us.

There are four stages in Lectio Divina (Latin for “sacred reading”). Begin by putting together a small group in your church that is interested in learning this spiritual practice. Create a reading schedule that walks you through a certain book, theme, or topic. Try to pick Scripture passages that people are already familiar with, so the practice is contemplative rather than an intellectual exercise. Once your group is formed, invite the participants to sit quietly, relax, and take a deep breath.

Lectio (reading): Read through the entire passage slowly, aloud. Let the reading pour over the group, allowing each person to find rest in the words. Pay attention to each word, phrase, image, and feeling that is stirred. Read through the passage a second time. This time, instruct your group to stop on the word, phrase, or image that stands out to them. Take a moment to let each person say the phrase out loud in the group.

Meditatio (meditation): Meditate on the word, phrase, image, or feeling that stood out to you. Rather than emptying your mind, use this time of meditation to focus your thinking on God. Imagine yourself in this particular scene. Reflect on why your chosen focus caught your attention and what God is saying to you through it. Does the passage speak to a specific situation or question in your life? Does the passage evoke a memory? Does the passage require a response or action?

Oratio (prayer): Bring your meditations before God in prayer. Talk to God about what the reading brought up inside you. Do you need to ask God for strength, forgiveness, or direction? Let the Scripture reading bring things to your awareness, and start a conversation with God.

Contemplatio (contemplation): End your time together by sitting in silent contemplation. Let yourself simply be with God. This is a crucial step, as it reminds you of God’s loving presence—which is not contingent on your reading, meditation, or prayers, but brought to your attention through these steps.

Biblical Prayer

Sometimes we lack the words to pray. In these moments, it can be difficult to articulate our experiences and feelings to God. But in turning to Scripture, we discover an array of prayers that we can echo. These prayers can give voice to our unique situations, and unite us to a greater heritage of faith. Try incorporating some of these prayers into your small group. Let them teach you how to pray. Make them a vehicle for things your group wants to express to God.

Here are some prayers to get you started:

Psalms: The book of Psalms is a collection of songs and prayers of praise, rejoicing, petition, lament, and adoration. Use these prayers to articulate a wide range of feelings and experiences: Psalms 30, 86, 90, 115, 145.

Jesus: Jesus’ prayers exemplify his intimate connection to the Father and they give his disciples today a model for how to pray. Use Jesus’ prayer for his disciples in John 17 to foster open, heartfelt communication with God. Take a few moments to read through each line of Jesus’ example on prayer in Luke 11:2-4 and reflect on its implications as a group.

Prophets: The prophets provide hard-hitting language for lament in the face of sin and injustice. Pray these prayers alongside the prophets to express your individual and corporate need for God: Isaiah 64, Micah 7:14-20, Jeremiah 10:23-25. Ask God to intervene in times of violence, abuse, and misuse of power.

Scripture Themes

Read a verse and let it set the focus for your prayer time. You may want to choose a verse from that week’s sermon, weekly Bible study, or lectionary reading. Or you may want to choose a verse based on the needs in your group. Is someone walking through grief? Economic hardship? Are there things to celebrate? Select verses that help you pray about these topics. Let the verses widen your vocabulary and guide how you address the need.

For instance, begin with Philippians 4:6-9 to pray about anxiety. Ask God to give you “peace, which is far beyond human understanding,” and to “fill your minds with those things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.” As you let these words from Scripture guide your prayer, pay attention to how they inform the specific desires of your heart.

As we commit to these practices, the words of Scripture become our own prayer language. Scripture becomes not only a way God speaks to us, but a way we respond to God and stay alert to God’s presence. Like the psalmists, Jesus, and the prophets, we are equipped to connect with God in our myriad experiences—only to realize that God has been waiting to connect with us all along.