Some of my favorite passages in the Bible are prayers. In my Bible, I mark these amazing prayers with an orange highlighter (when I remember hehe . . . which is about one in every seven prayers but we won’t talk about that).
The thing I love about these amazing prayers is that, because they are in the Bible, we know that God has His seal of approval on them. These are the prayers that we should seek to cultivate in our lives.
So studying them is a great idea! I’d suggest choosing a prayer and studying it for a couple days, maybe even a week or two. Pull out everything you can.
Details to look for
- Who is the person…their past “track record,” if you will
- Why did the person pray…did they want/need something? Were they in mental distress? Were they in physical trouble?
- What is the structure of the prayer…how much do they focus on God’s attributes and deeds versus their request?)
- Is there record of God answering their prayer? How does He answer it…yes, no, or maybe?
- Is there record of this person thanking God for His answer?
- What characteristics are shown in this prayer…faith, dependence, humility, even negative things like fear?
I’m very much a pen and paper type person. You could use regular notebook paper in a binder, collect these in your personal prayer journal, or use the handy printable I’ve created! Here’s some passages to start out with if you need inspiration.
Prayers to study
Here’s some ideas if you’re at a loss. Hannah’s amazing prayers are probably my favorite!
- Hannah’s prayer(s) for a child & praise—1 Samuel 1-2
- Abraham’s servant’s prayer for God’s will in his master’s life—Genesis 24
- Jehosaphat’s prayer for God’s victory in battle—2 Chronicles 20
- The LORD’s prayer—Matthew 6:5-13
- Prayer for spiritual strength—Ephesians 3:14-21
- David’s prayer for guidance—Psalm 25:1-5
- Nehemiah’s prayer for favor—Nehemiah 1:4-11
- Jesus’ prayer of submission—Matthew 26:36-44
- Jonah’s prayer of repentance and thankfulness—Jonah 2:2-9
