Pray-Reading is Scriptural

[Raptor]

more examples of other non-LC believers sharing/teaching about pray-reading. (not endorsing any group)

How to Pray-Read the Word - Mike Bickle
https://tinyurl.com/y5j9wvm3
https://www.ihopkc.org/resources/ass..._MB/auto/true/ VIDEO
When I moved from a purely “study mode” to a “dialogue mode” when reading the Bible, it changed my spiritual life. I began my journey into what I term “pray-reading” the Word. I could feel His presence in a greater way. I began to love God’s Word. When I look back on over forty years of walking with Jesus, I realize that pray-reading the Word—using the Bible as the “conversational material” in my prayer life—has been the single most significant activity in my spiritual life. This simple activity is essential to abiding in Christ.

Teaching Kids to Pray When Reading the Bible
https://www.futureflyingsaucers.com/...reading-bible/
Encourage your kids to pray asking God to give them understanding of the verses they are about to see. Have them pray that the Holy Spirit would help them to focus on the insights he will reveal. Then have your children read for their quiet time. Even better, if they are situated in a prayer place, ask them to whisper the scripture out loud. That way they are seeing AND hearing the words. As the Holy Spirit works, he will cause the words to come alive and, at times, be sharper than a two-edged sword. If you have Bible reading at the same time, when it ends, have everyone gather together. Lead your children to pray that they will obey what they read and that the Holy Spirit will remind them of the scriptures when needed. Pray as a group until the habit is formed.

Praying the Bible – Samuel Whitefield
https://samuelwhitefield.com/239/praying-the-bible
Pray reading is where, as you read, you turn phrases and verses into prayer and basically dialog with the Lord over the Scripture. This is much slower than just reading the passage, but also helps bring real life into the passage and helps apply it deeper to your heart. (But) What I mean by “Praying the Scriptures” is extracting key phrases, promises of rewards, commands, warnings, and blessings from a book of the Bible or a passage of Scripture and creating a prayer list from these verses.

[Raptor]

Here are the last 3 references about pray-reading outside the LC that I found in a simple Google search. I think we can reasonably conclude that pray-reading is scriptural, it has a rich history both in the Bible and in christian practice.


How to Pray-Read Scripture – Gary Wiens (video and article)
https://thekeyofdavid.wordpress.com/...ead-scripture/
Jesus called us to abide in Him. The foundation of this reality means talking with Him. We do this best as we pray-read the Word, which is simply speaking its truths back to Him as we read it. Learning how to dialogue with God in the scriptures is like opening your mouth under the waterfall. When you learn how to take the word of God and pray it back to Him, in a conversational way, that word begins to live inside and begins to ignite your heart in a powerful way.

Scripture prayer for our children (audio)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zpEv0JZNyI
Praying the scriptures is POWERFUL. The WORD of GOD will not return to HIM void. We must intercede and speak the WORD of GOD over our children. The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. But JESUS has come that we may have life; and have it more abundantly. Speak LIFE over our children.

ENGAGING GOD IN THE WORD: PRAY-READING THE WORD – Jeff Mootz
http://www.uhopsf.com/sermons/engagi...reading-bible/
Jesus corrected the leaders of his day and told them that their bible study life was not enough to connect with His heart. They needed to take the scriptures and engage in a Holy Spirit dialogue with God as a Person in order to receive life. God’s life is imparted to us as we prayerfully speak His Words to Him. The truths of the actual passages are imparted to us as we talk to Him about them.

[micah6v8]

My view is that scripture can be used as a basis for conversation with God since scripture is God's spoken word.

But simply plucking one verse to pray-read (e.g. just selecting the one or two bible verses that appear in the daily portion of a Morning Revival book) probably might not be helpful unless you already are familiar with the verse and its context.

[Sons to Glory!]

Originally Posted by micah6v8

My view is that scripture can be used as a basis for conversation with God since scripture is God's spoken word.

But simply plucking one verse to pray-read (e.g. just selecting the one or two bible verses that appear in the daily portion of a Morning Revival book) probably might not be helpful unless you already are familiar with the verse and its context.

Of course we need to know the context. And it depends on the particular verse too. How many times is John 3:16 quoted by itself, but the meaning is fully contained in that verse? The main thing is God giving light and life through any verse - apart from getting His light and understanding, all of it is just dead to us anyway! Pray-reading is just another way to take it to Him in prayer and to be nourished thereby in our spirit.

And I second Raptor's motion regarding the dead-horse-beating on this subject!
I move to affirm that it's a good and scriptural practice (again, of course not in the mechanical/mindless LC way of doing it).

[UntoHim]

Many thanks to Raptor for all the good references that show what "Pray-Reading" should really look like. I would note that virtually all of the references given show this to be an INDIVIDUAL practice, and not something for use in a corporate setting, such as is done in the Local Church of Witness Lee.

Christians have been practicing pray reading since the beginning as part of any mature Christians daily divisional time. Many different words and terms have been used, but the basic concept is exactly the same - praying the Word of God back to the Lord.

I must be honest and point out that none of the references provided look anything like the pray reading that is practiced in the Local Church...not even close really. And again, none of them reference practicing pray reading in a corporate setting, which is a bread and butter practice in the Local Church.

So is "Pray Reading" as it is outlined in the various references given on this thread scriptural? Absolutely!
Is "Pray Reading" as it is practiced in the Local Church of Witness Lee scriptural? Absolutely Not!
Ok, now we can conclude
-

[Sons to Glory!]

Well said UtH!

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by UntoHim

So is "Pray Reading" as it is outlined in the various references given on this thread scriptural? Absolutely!

Is "Pray Reading" as it is practiced in the Local Church of Witness Lee scriptural? Absolutely Not!

40 years ago we had a practice of repeating verses to one another in the meetings before a brother would minister. It was a preferred alternative to not reading Bible verses at all in the meeting. Some of it was fun, educational, nourishing, and enlivening. Sometimes public prayer would result. I still think that was much more edifying than everyone speaking in tongues.

Every practice is just that. "A" practice. Most any practice can be a help, and every practice can be abused. Church history is filled with stories. There are thousands of diverse practices in churches, but Paul did tell Timothy to "give attendance to the reading" of scripture. (I Timothy 4.6-16) The LC's I was part of used this scripture to support the practice.

• Being nourished with the words of faith v.6
• Exercise yourself unto godliness v.7
• This faithful word is worthy of all acceptance v.9
• Attend to public reading v.13

Once we remove the Spirit of reality from any spiritual practice, we are left with something robotic, empty, and vain. The same thing happened to Israel. God told them He was bored and disgusted with their offerings.

The problem with public "pray-reading" as orchestrated by LSM was the departure of God's glory from their temple. Without the Spirit of reality, the practice morphed into something unrecognizable to Christians. Something called PSRP was introduced in 1993. The practice departed from what any of us would call "prayer," or "reading the scripture." It became shouting and repeating the outlines of Lee. Today it is worse. They now shout and repeat the outlines of the Blendeds supposedly based on the outlines of Lee.

[Sons to Glory!]

FYI - Just read a passage in Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book, "Life Together" (circa 1930s), which went over meditation in the word. It really sounded like pray-reading, even though he didn't call it that. He wrote, "The consideration of Scripture leads into prayer. We have already said that the most promising way to pray is to allow oneself to be guided by the words of the Bible, to pray on the basis of the words of Scripture. In this way we will not fall prey to our own emptiness. Prayer means nothing more than to appropriate the Word, to let it speak to me in my personal situation, in my particular tasks, decisions, sins, and temptations." (pages 62-63 of my particular edition, the chapter titled "The Day Alone")