The Power of Praying Scripture

Last night, I had a terrible nightmare. I won’t go into details. Let’s just say it was filled with persecution, death, and mayhem. Mostly mine. I woke up and my heart literally hurt in my chest because it was beating so fast. Normally, when I have a bad dream, I try to go to my “happy place” and think good thoughts so my mind will be distracted and I can go back to sleep. But last night, my heart rate would not slow down so I started praying and reciting scripture. At first, I could only think of the Our Father prayer so I started with,
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. (Matthew 6:9)
I kept repeating that phrase over and over again.
Then I went on with,
For God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)
I still felt unsettled and couldn't control my heart rate.

Suddenly, I remembered a scripture I’ve been memorizing with my daughter, niece and nephew. I recently decided that I wanted them to memorize scripture, and since I have them captive in my car for 20 minutes each day, I figured why not. I have made each of us spiral notebook and we memorize one scripture per week. The first scripture we memorized was Psalm 119:11

I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.

I wanted them to know how important it is to memorize scripture. I told them there may come a day when the Bible is outlawed, like in other countries. We need to treasure and store God's Word in our hearts and minds so that when trouble comes, God's Word can guide and comfort us.

Well, I guess, God wanted me not only to talk-the-talk but also walk-the-walk, because in my time of need, our second memory verse came to my rescue.

So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help. Hebrews 4:16 (CEV)

I kept praying this scripture over and over in my mind and visualizing myself walking bravely to the throne of my Father in heaven where He treats me with undeserved kindness and helps me. My heartbeat slowed, the fear dissipated, and the nightmare ended. I began to pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ around the world whose nightmare of persecution, torture, imprisonment has not ended. Who have been denied a Bible in their cells. I prayed that God would send angels to minister to them. That scripture would come back to their minds and hearts to comfort them.

We must never take our Bibles for granted. We must treasure God's Word and hide it in our hearts while there is time and we are still free to do so.

Praying scripture is powerful. We are agreeing with God's Word and He releases His power on our behalf. When Jesus was being tormented by the devil in the desert, Jesus used the power of scripture to get rid of the devil. Jesus was modeling for us how to use God’s Word as a spiritual weapon against the enemy. That is why the devil is so bent on removing the Bible from our world and from our hands. There is victory in God’s Word and the devil must flee when God’s Word is spoken against him.

So, I don’t know about you but I’m going to fill up my notebook and my heart with scripture so that I am spiritually ready, with God's sword in hand, for the battle coming.

Love,
Yolanda

PS: Recently, some acquaintances and friends have been diagnosed with serious illnesses and I wanted to pray scripture over them. I wrote this scripture prayer to recite on their behalf. Feel free to pray this prayer for healing over yourself or personalize it by inserting the name of someone else. 

Healing Prayer
Jesus, you are the Great Physician. (Mark 2:17; John 5:1-9)
You are the Lord who heals. (Exodus 15:26)
By Your stripes we have been healed. (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24)
You forgive all our sins and heal all our diseases. You redeem us from death and crown us with love and tender mercies. You fill our life will all good things. You renew our youth. (Psalm 103:3-4)
You will deliver us, because we hold fast to You in love; You will protect us, because we know Your name. When we call to You, You will answer us; You will be with us in trouble; You will rescue us and honor us. With long life, You will satisfy us and show us Your saving power. (Psalm 91:14-16)
Jesus, You said, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” (Matthew 21:21-22)
Jesus, through the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Name, I pray for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.
Because of the blood of Jesus Christ, who has cleansed me of all my sins, I come bravely before the throne of my merciful God, who treats me with undeserved kindness and helps me in my time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
Jesus, in the multitude of my anxieties, comfort my soul. (Psalm 94:19)
I’m crying out in trouble, save me from my distress. Send out Your word and heal me, snatching me from the door of death. (Psalm 107:19-20)
O LORD my God, I’m crying out for help. Restore my health. (Psalm 30:2)
Let those who fear the Lord NOW say, “His mercy endures forever!”
I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the LORD has done. (Psalm 118:4; 17)
Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise His holy name.
Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things He does for me.
Please hurry, LORD, and answer my prayer. Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life.
(Psalm 143:7-8)
In Jesus Name, Amen.