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We are a father and son team. Nader (the dad) has been a spiritual director since 2007 (North Park Seminary), and has his Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Formation from Tyndale Seminary in Toronto. Ben (the son) is the operations pastor at a local Chicagoland church, and a writer who is passionate about prayer and literature. We both have a heart for personal prayer, and long to see others draw near to God in their prayer journeys. We hope the Holy Spirit speaks to you through these entries in the ways that only He knows you need.

2. Reading Instead of Praying - Not

2. Reading Instead of Praying - Not

Xavier Sahyouni
Bible, Getting Unstuck

Dear Jim,

You are absolutely right to want to stay engaged with scripture as a part of your prayer time. The bible tells us that “man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that flows from the mouth of God.”  The word of God is our spiritual food! For this reason, I have found it critical to prayerfully read a short passage of scripture before I start talking to God. Without this spiritual food, we will become malnourished in our spiritual lives. However, it is important to recognize that reading scripture is not a substitute for having a conversation with God. Both prayer and scripture are needed. Jesus did not focus one at the expense of the other, and neither should we. It sounds like you are experiencing some frustration because you are trying to substitute reading scripture for having a conversation with God.

Asking God to reveal himself to us in the text as we reflect on it is one way to read the Bible prayerfully. After doing that, it is still important to carve out time to have a conversation with God, whether it is about what we read or other things on our heart, or hopefully both. This conversation can be structured however you want it to be, or it can be completely unstructured. Everyone converses with God differently. The best way to pray is the way that works for you.

Why don’t you try setting aside time after reading scripture to have a direct conversation with God? That way you can get a sense of what styles of prayer work for you, and what the appropriate balance is between scripture-reading and prayer during this season of your life.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

When was the last time God spoke powerfully to you through Scripture? Is your current reading or study practice allowing you to get to know God more? If not, pray for God to show you how we would like you to read. There are many ways to read and many ways to study, and God knows what will work best for you in this season.

 What do you think of praying about what you read? Or daily praying about a verse or two that stand out to you in your reading for the day?

3. Fifteen Minute Frustration

3. Fifteen Minute Frustration
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1. Prayer Is a Catalyst for Spiritual Growth

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