Praying the Scriptures

Introduction

Prayerlessness is a big problem in the Western church. If Paul Miller is to be believed, we are “the first generation in two thousand years to have lost the vision of the church as a house of prayer” (A Praying Church 41). A Pew research poll indicates that 72% of evangelical Christians pray daily, but according to Barna, only about 2% of people audibly pray with another person, and about 2% audibly pray with their church. I know polls can be skewed to say what people want them to say, but if these are even close to being accurate, the church has a huge praying problem.

This morning, we are looking at the fallout from Peter and John’s first arrest when they were questioned, threatened, and then released by the Sanhedrin. What we see happen ought to inspire us in our prayer life. Again, I want to emphasize that Acts is a description of the first-century church; it is not a prescription of how we are to act or even what we can expect at times. Still, we see time and again through the Bible the command and call to pray to our God, both privately and with other believers, including the church gathered.

So as we open up Acts 4:23-31, my hope is that it could help us in our prayer lives. I hope that by the end of this message today, you would not only be educated at how to pray the Scriptures, but that you would be excited to do so. And so, this morning, we are looking at five components of praying the Scriptures. The first is to recognized the Sovereign. The second is to recall the Scriptures themselves. Thirdly we want to relate to the situation we find ourselves in. Fourthly, we need to request the strength to go through the circumstance. Finally, we must then rely on the Spirit.

Recognize the Sovereign

Recall the Scriptures

Relate to the Situation

Request the Strength

Rely on the Spirit

There is a sixth one as well: repent of the sins, but it’s not found in this text, so I’m not going to deal with it. But if you want to use this formula to help you pray the Scriptures, and you want to add repentance, feel free to do so.

Recognize the Sovereign

The first component of praying the Scriptures comes when the church recognized God’s sovereignty.

Acts 4:23–24 ESV

When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,

Before going too far into the prayer, I first want us to notice that Peter and John did not see their problem with the Sanhedrin as a personal problem. This wasn’t simply something that happened to them that they needed to handle on their own. These men involved their friends—most likely the original 120 or so that they prayed with at the beginning of Acts. It was Peter and John who had decided to go to pray. It was Peter and John who decided to heal the man. It was Peter and John who were arrested and stood before the Sanhedrin. But it wasn’t Peter and John dealing with the fallout. They didn’t say to one another, “This is a fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into; we better figure out how we can get out of it.” No. They went to their friends—their church family—and reported the scene and all that had happened. Then they all prayed together.

And they started with recognizing God as sovereign Lord, indicating that he rules over all. No one can thwart his cause or plans. He is the one who made the heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them. Nothing is made that was made without him making it. He is the maker and ruler of all. What a wonderful way to start off our prayers! In fact, the church didn’t just start with this acknowledgement; they also brought it back up later in verse 28. I mean, why would we even pray at all if God is not sovereign? If he is not in control, then our prayers are futile and our hopes are pointless.

Of course, some may say, “If God is sovereign, why pray in the first place?” The answer to that is found in Ezekiel, in chapters 13 and 22. In both chapters God is likening prayer to going up and standing in the breaches of a wall—standing in the gap you might say. In these chapters he stated,

Ezekiel 13:5 ESV

You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the Lord.

and

Ezekiel 22:30 ESV

And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.

In other words, God was looking for intercessors precisely because he is sovereign. The words “that” are purposeful. “So that it might stand… So that I should not destroy it.” In other words, if no one intercedes, he will destroy. In his sovereignty, he has ordained that, in this moment, he would only work through the prayers of his people. Yet not one prophet, priest, king, or layman interceded, displaying their spiritual state as absolutely destitute.

Beloved, we do no know when God shall choose to only work through our prayers, so let us recognize that no matter what situation we are in—how good or bad, God is still sovereign and still desires our prayers. As Maltbie Davenport Babcock wrote,

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.

And then, having recognized our Sovereign, let’s pray to him!

Recall the Scriptures

The first component of Praying the Scriptures was recognizing the Sovereign. The second is to recall the scripture itself.

Acts 4:25–26 ESV

who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—

Even in this, we see God’s sovereign Spirit leading the mouth of David to speak and write. In this case, the church has recalled Psalm 2:1-2, but in reality, we can use any Scripture. Stop and think about it for a moment. We, as humans, do not know the mind of God. We are not always sure about his will, but when we pray the Scriptures, we at least know that we are praying what God has revealed about himself, ourselves, or others. This means that our prayers are not shots in the dark, but responses to truths God has already revealed to us!

Now there are a couple of ways of recalling the Scriptures. One is, of course, having memorized verses you simply remember them in the midst of your praying. You may not get the words verbatim, but you get the gist of what God has spoken through his writers. So you recite them or paraphrase them, but the other way is in some ways better. That is: as you read the Scriptures, pray them aloud.

I’ve already brought up that this passage that the church prayed was from Psalm 2, but don’t forget that the passage that Peter likened to the situation with him standing before the court was Psalm 118. Before that, he preached from Psalm 110 and Psalm 16. Before that: Psalm 109 and Psalm 69. Certainly there were other parts of the Bible he used, but the majority of them come from the Psalms, in part because they are Messianic Psalms, but also because the Psalms are so easy to relate to. And I think that’s key: rather than reading the Scriptures according to our situation, we ought to read our situations according to Scripture. In other words, let’s not reinterpret the Bible due to our experience, but reinterpret our experiences according to the Bible.

As Don Whitney remarked in his book, “God has inspired a psalm for every sigh of the soul” (Whitney, 54).

Relate to the Situation

Which leads us to the third component of praying the Scriptures. First we recognize the Sovereign, then recall the Scripture, and now we relate the Scripture to our situation. And I think this is where we have the most difficulty. Let’s take a look at how the early church did it first.

Acts 4:27–28 ESV

for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

Notice the relationships between the text written hundreds of years prior and the situation at hand. Originally, this was a Royal Psalm read and applied to the coronation of Jewish kings. However, once there ceased to be kings on the throne, their deeper meaning was seen as a sign of the Messiah, and so they are now considered Messianic Psalms.

But as we look, we can see relationships and how nicely they fit together. Were Gentiles involved? Certainly. Pilate, Herod, and the Roman soldiers all had a hand in Jesus’s crucifixion. Originally, the “peoples” of Psalm 2 would have been referring to Gentile commoners, not the peoples of Israel, but in this situation peoples were peoples of all varieties, including the peoples of Israel.

The Psalm points out that Kings set themselves and rulers gather together. They related this to Herod Antipas perhaps, who was not technically a king; he was a tetrarch, Pilate who was a governor, and probably the Sanhedrin. It’s not an exact match, but it is really close. The situations are similar. These men plotted against Jesus, God’s Servant. That is absolutely relatable.

Now keep in mind that the situation Peter and John were in was not with Herod or Pilate, but only with the Sanhedrin. This Psalm still related to the situation even if it wasn’t an exact match.

When we pray the Scriptures, we do not need an exact match—just a close one.

Let’s quickly think about Joseph of the Old Testament in prison—falsely accused and shamefully forgotten. We read

Genesis 39:20 ESV

And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.

As you read, ask if you’re going through something like this. Maybe for you children, your sibling lied to your parents about something you didn’t do and now you’re grounded or restricted from certain activities. It’s not fair that you have to stay in your room, and t’s not fair that your parents are wrongly disappointed in you.

Or maybe you’re a man who has been accused of harassment when you didn’t do anything. Rumors are spreading that you’re a harasser, HR is interviewing you and others, your reputation is shot, and you may lose your job.

You see, it’s not the exact same thing, but it relates. And so, relate the Scriptures to your situation.

I think the hang up is that people feel like their interpreting Scripture here, but you’re not. You’re applying it. The Scripture says what the Scripture says. You’re not reading your situation into the Scriptures, but relating the Scriptures to your situation. That’s completely different.

Request the Strength

Once you’ve related the Bible to your situation, now is the time to request the strength to get through it. Recognize the Sovereign, recall the Scriptures, relate the situation, and now request the strength.

Acts 4:29–30 ESV

And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

Notice that, in this case, the disciples did not ask to be delivered from the situation, only the strength to get through it. There’s nothing wrong with asking to be delivered. We see in the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus taught them to pray, “Deliver us from evil (or the evil one).” Jesus asked the cup to be passed from him if possible. King Hezekiah asked for deliverance from Sennacherib. Later, the church prayed for Peter to be delivered from prison. There’s nothing wrong with that.

But sometimes, we need to pray for the strength to get through a situation and not simply be saved from it. They prayed for the strength to double down. They didn’t ask for deliverance; they asked for determination. No more speaking or teaching in the name of Jesus? Lord, give us even more boldness. Give us more healings. And look in whose name through whom they wanted it done: through the name of your holy servant Jesus.

They had to have known that such prayer would actually rain down more persecution for them, not less. Yet they prayed this way anyway.

Beloved, what is that you need strength in today? Are you using the Scriptures to guide your prayers for it?

Perhaps again, as you read about Joseph, you see

Genesis 39:21 ESV

But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

And so you ask for that same steadfast love be given to you. You pray that you would find favor in the sight of your parents once again, or you pray that HR would see through the lies and vindicate your name, or that if you lost your job that your interviewers would find favor with you.

And then you read how the cupbearer forgot him for two years. You know what it is like to be forgotten, and so you pray that God would strengthen you as he did Joseph, to be patient and to not become cynical or hard-hearted.

Perhaps you’re wanting to evangelize to a friend, coworker, or family member. You know you should, but you’re afraid the relationship will be damaged. As you are reading your Bible, you come across a seemingly unrelated passage. It’s about the lepers who were scrounging for food while Syria besieged Samaria. Syria had fled and the lepers found as much food as anyone could ever want. And you read this verse:

2 Kings 7:9 ESV

Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come; let us go and tell the king’s household.”

We’re not hoarding physical food, but we do have spiritual food. Our good news is greater than theirs. But we are remaining silent until “the time is right.” So we read, then relate, then request: “Father, give me the strength to tell this good news. Who knows? Perhaps by telling them, they come to be a part of the King’s household. Let me not wait until the perfect time; let me not delay. Strengthen me to go as soon as is possible.”

Rely on the Spirit

And that takes us to the last component of praying the Scriptures. It actually has nothing to do with praying itself, but what we must do after we pray. We must rely on the Spirit to do what the Spirit does.

Acts 4:31 ESV

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

In this case, the Spirit shook the place and filled the people in answer to their request. However, the Spirit does not always work so quickly. We know that God has a timetable and recognizing his sovereignty, we know that we must patiently rely on the Spirit to move.

I said that relating the Scripture to our situation may be the hardest part of praying, but it could be this. Our natural tendency is to do the task at hand with our tactics and in our timing. Relying on God to do what God is going to do is not easy. Rather than being like the early church, we are more like early Israel. What happened to Moses? He’s been gone for too long. It’s time to do this our way. Soon idols are adopted and God is disowned. Let us not be like the twelve tribes; let us be more like the twelve apostles.

We may not get a shaken room, but if we are determined to rely on the Spirit, we will know when he moves.

Conclusion

As we finish this portion of Acts 4, we’ve seen five components of praying the Scriptures: recognize the Sovereign, recall the Scriptures, relate to the situation, request the strength, and finally rely on the Spirit. I told you that you could also repent of the sins you’ve committed. Perhaps, as you read, you come across a command that was broken, and so you stop and repent immediately. Or maybe you relate to a passage—something like David being somewhere he ought not of been and seeing something he ought not have seen, leading to him doing something he ought not have done. And you see your situation in his, calling on your to bow before God and repent.

As D. A. Carson and Don Whitney point out, praying the Scriptures actually keeps your prayer life fresh. We will have the same prayer requests for days, maybe even years. And it will seem like, as Whitney points out, that we say “the same old thing about the same old thing.” Praying the Scriptures helps us to pray the say old thing in fresh new ways, making certain that we are praying in accordance with God’s revealed will. And that’s what we want, isn’t it: to pray according to God’s revealed will?

Often times when we pray, it is because of a problem. That’s not a bad motive. We are invited to the throne room of God any time we are in need of grace. But what we see in this text was that Peter and John did not go to the throne room alone. They didn’t even go with just each other who had shared the experience together. They shared their experience and went collectively with the fellow-Christian friends. And as they prayed, they began with recognizing the Sovereign God who was already in the situation they were in.

Standing before the most powerful people and receiving their substantial threats could leave these men shaken, but by the time they left that place of prayer, it was the room and not their spirits that were shaken.

Can I ask you to put into place one practical idea this week. We’ve got various modes of making prayer requests. It can come across through text messages or on Slack. The next time you see a prayer request, could you take a few moments to text a prayer in response, and perhaps use a part of Scripture that relates to the situation when you do? Don’t just say, “praying,” or add the praying emoji. Instead, let that text be a prompt for a virtual prayer meeting. And while it may not be the Spirit that shakes the phones in our pockets, maybe—just maybe—it will remind us that the Spirit is at work in and because of our prayers. If we’re going to notify the requester that we’re praying anyway, why not notify them the prayer instead?