We pray. We read the scriptures. Praying the scriptures combines our praying and reading in a powerful way of communicating with God. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, we find instances of God’s people “praying the Word” by quoting Scripture in their prayers, particularly praying the Psalms. For example, in Acts 4:24 – 26, the believers pray Psalm 2. Even Jesus himself prayed using the Psalms: His dying prayer on the cross was a quotation of Psalm 22:1: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The German martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us that when we pray Scripture, we are praying with Jesus. To pray the scriptures means to allow the words of the sacred text to form our prayer—either directly or indirectly. Prayer entails heart-to-heart communication with God that moves in both directions. God speaks, we listen and respond; we speak, God listens and responds. Whatever we read and reflect on in the scripture is part of our ongoing dialogue with God,

So how do we pray the scriptures? There are many ways to pray the scriptures. To practice any particular way, however, we need to set aside some time each day to listen and respond to God’s Word. Seek a regular place for prayer as well, a place that can be free from distracting noise and interruption. Take a few moments to settle peacefully into God’s presence and pray for the guidance of the Spirit.

My personal favorite way is St. Ignatius’ imaginative reading of scripture.

1. Pick a story out of scripture. Read through it once slowly. Imagine the scene as if we are standing right there. What is around me? Who else is there? What happens in the passage?

2. Imagine yourself in the story as one of the characters or as an observer.

3. Observe: what do you see, smell, hear.

4. Participate: what is happening? Who is talking? Talk to them, listen to them, ask them questions. How do they respond?

5. Notion what is going on inside you. What are you feeling? How do you respond to this passage? How does it resonate with your life and spiritual journey?

6. Sit with God or Jesus: what do you want to say to God/Jesus. What do you think God/Jesus would like to say to you? This is God revealing himself to us.

This way of praying the scriptures makes the scripture come alive in a new way. It puts you into the scripture and provides us categories for prayer, expands our language for prayer, and tutors us in speaking to God as we hear God speak to us through the Word.