How To Pray According To The Word Of God

Praying according to the Word of God is vital for all Christian believers, as God’s Word is the foundation of our faith walk and prayer life. God blessed us with the Bible, the written Scripture, so we can easily and readily access His perfect will, ways, principles, guidelines, reminders, and promises to all those who believe in Jesus’ name. 

Praying according to the Word of God is basically just aligning your prayers to what the Bible is saying. The more you know about the Word of God, the more your prayers will be biblically sound and aligned, which makes them powerful and effective. Jesus Christ said in John 15:7, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” The more you pray according to the Word of God, the more answered prayers you can expect. 

As you are here looking for how to pray according to the Word of God, here are some ways to do it:

1. Declare and pray the Word of God

Praying and declaring the Word of God can be short and concise in manner, as you simply decree the promises of God according to what the Scripture says. For instance, 1 Corinthians 15:57 says, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

You can pray in this manner:

Thank You, God, for the victory You have granted us through the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.

2. Meditate on a particular Word of God and pray to God about it

During your reading and study of God’s Word, the Holy Spirit walks you through different stories, insights, and revelations on which you can meditate. After meditation, you can talk to God about what you have learned and pray the Word of God. For instance, in Matthew 7:8-11, Jesus shared a principle when it comes to asking the Father specifically in prayer. He said, “Or what man is there of you, whom if his son asks for bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” These passages tell us that our Heavenly Father is such a good Giver and that when we ask Him for specific things, He will answer our prayers specifically. Then, you can pray in this manner:

Heavenly Father, thank You for being a good Giver. I can specifically ask You for anything according to Your will, and You will answer my prayer. (Say your specific request). Thank You for hearing my prayers, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

3. Say a prayer and cite a Word of God

Saying a prayer and citing a particular Scripture helps when you are praying publicly in your church or when you are teaching young people, as it makes the prayer a good example to the hearer, plus they know that you are praying according to the Word. For instance, the Holy Spirit leads you to address faith supplemented with action. You can pray in this way:

Heavenly Father, thank You for teaching us the right ways through Your Word. James 2:26 says that faith without action is dead. Help us and empower us to walk our talk and be diligent in all our ways, even as we rely on You and put all our hopes in You through Christ Jesus. Amen.

Why do you need to pray according to God’s Word?

As mentioned earlier, praying according to God’s Word is vital in our faith walk with God, as it is the Father’s will and guidance for us to follow. 

As Christians, we need to pray according to God’s Word because it is evidence that we are truly submitted to God in Christ Jesus and that we are His children. When we follow and obey God’s Word and pray according to the Scripture, it shows our humility before the Lord and demonstrates that we are truly His. 

If we want our prayers to be answered by God, we must align our hearts, minds, motives, thoughts, values, and principles according to what He says in the Bible. 1 John 5:14 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.”

We can imagine the worst if God did not give us the Bible. We wouldn’t have any basis for our faith, and anyone could claim what is right and wrong, which is worldly and holy. We wouldn’t know the difference between what has come from God, the enemy, or the world. There are many beliefs and perspectives that the world is imposing to be right, especially in today’s generation.

For instance, the world says that a woman may marry a woman or that a man may marry a man if they love each other. If we don’t have the Bible telling us that this act is called homosexuality and it is a sin against Him (see Leviticus 18:22 and Romans 1:26-27), then we might easily believe in such counterfeit concepts of love and marriage when God has so much more in store if we walk according to His Word. He wants us to be free from any pain and be healed of any inner wounds, which is primarily why people choose to love and marry others of the same sex. 

Is it okay if I pray in my own words?

You have learned some ways to pray according to the Word of God, but does that mean you should always quote Scripture when praying or have the Bible always with you to declare the Word of God? 

As mentioned earlier, God’s Word is our guide and access point to the Father’s heart. The more we spend time reading our Bible, the more knowledge and understanding we can gain. Over time, even as you pray in your own words, you are praying according to the Word. It is okay to use your own words, given that your thoughts and intents are biblically aligned. 

As Christians, the Word of God is our weapon against the lies and schemes of the enemy. We are taught to renew our minds daily so that anything we may have entertained for the day that is not from God can be renewed and realigned by the Scripture (see Romans 12:2). 

We are blessed that God gave us the written Word so that we will always find our way when we are lost. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”

You may also check out these articles to help you pray according to the Word of God:

• How to be specific in prayer
• How to be spiritually strong in prayer

May you witness God’s power and faithfulness as you continuously pray, according to the Word of God, in Jesus’ name.