Why You Need to Read the Bible Before You Pray

Show of hands: How many of you pray every day? All of you? Excellent, keep it up!

Now raise your hand again if you read the Bible every day.

Statistically speaking, if you were in a room with 29 other people, only about 11 of you would raise your hand. That’s barely more than a third.

Let’s talk about why it’s so important for you to not only be one of the 11, but to read the Bible before you pray. To do that, I’ll start with a story.

You don’t have to have all the answers.

But, hey, why not?

Bring me your questions about faith, life, God, the Bible… and I’ll help you find the answers.

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Read First: A Cautionary Tale

Lauren Thell is an author who writes Christian books for teens—specifically, contemporary Christian YA fiction. Lauren Thell does not write sci-fi, horror, mysteries, or historical fiction. In order for Lauren Thell to have her books published by a traditional publishing house, she needs to find a literary agent to represent her. So author Lauren Thell decides to query Agent A. Beecy from Ex Wiezy Literary Agency. She crafts a bulletproof query letter, spends hours putting together a proposal, and polishes up her manuscript for the twelfth time. Then she sends the materials in a tidy email to Agent A. Beecy and waits for a reply.

But no reply comes. Weeks pass, then months, until finally a businesslike “not interested” form letter land in her inbox. And Lauren Thell is crushed because she was rejected AGAIN.

Here’s the thing, however: Agent A. Beecy is only interested in sci-fi, horror and mysteries, and under no circumstances does he represent YA fiction of any genre. Lauren Thell could’ve saved herself lots of work and disappointment if only she had checked out his webpage, which outlines these terms very clearly.

To sum up the moral of the story: Read before you ask.

(And don’t worry, this story is hypothetical. In reality, I am doing all the proper research ahead of time before seeking the services of any particular agent!)

Become Informed!

You make a fool of yourself and waste time when you don’t do your research, right? Everyone knows you can’t buy tires at a grocery store or go to the dentist to have your eyes checked. So why do we assume we can just ask God for anything we want without really knowing him?

To be fair, if you are praying and talking to God at all, that truly is a good thing. But that alone is not enough to have a relationship with him.

To get to know someone, you have to listen, too. 1 John 5:14 says “if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” How can you know God’s will if you don’t read your Bible?

Knowing God and what his will is might help you understand why the prayer you’ve been praying over and over continues to go unanswered.

2 Reasons Why it’s Important to Read the Bible Before You Pray

1) Reading the Bible helps you know who God is.

A tragic number of people today have an incorrect idea of who God really is. He’s not a benevolent grandfather in the sky, nor is he a tyrannical dictator just waiting for you to give him a reason to throw you into hell. He’s also not a genie in a bottle, and he’s certainly not a wish-granting factory. If you have any of these views in your head—or any other view of God that you haven’t specifically confirmed through scriptureit’s definitely time to pick up the Good Book and have a good look at who God really is.

A tragic number of people today have an incorrect idea of who God really is

Let me give you some starting hints (from the Bible, of course)

God knows everything: 1 John 3:19-20
He is the creator of everything: Act 17:24-26
He is bigger than we can fathom: Romans 11:33-36
He is the righteous judge: 2 Timothy 4:8
God demands perfection: Matthew 5:48
He is mighty enough to make you faultless: Jude 24-25
God is the one who saves us: Ephesians 1:3-10

2) Reading the Bible helps you know what God wants.

This might come as a complete shock, but God’s main concern is not your happiness.

“What?!” you say. “Why wouldn’t God want me to be happy?”

Why do we assume we can just ask God for anything we want without really knowing him?

It’s not that God wants you to be unhappy, but look at all the things that make us “happy” that aren’t good for us. I’m happy when I’m stuffing my face with chocolate cake that has an inch of frosting on top. You might be happy spending an hour on social media instead of studying for your chemistry exam. Lots of people are happy looking at porn or engaging in daring sexual relationships.

Sin often makes us happy, at least for a while, but it also makes us selfish, hurts ourselves and others and, worst of all, draws us further from God. Sometimes as far as the gates of hell.

If you have always thought God just wants you to be happy, then take a look at these verses.

God desires for us to seek and find him: Acts 17:24-28
He wants for us to have eternal life with him: Romans 5:8
He commands that we not only believe in him, but love others as well: 1 John 3:23
He expects us to follow his commands: Luke 6:43-49

If you read your Bible before you pray, you will know who you’re talking to and your prayers will not become stale. (But here’s the cool thing: You can have both holiness and happiness. See my post: Happiness & Holiness: Aim High, Go For Both.)

What About the Advice That Says I Should Pray Before Reading the Bible?

It’s absolutely true—but we’re talking about a different kind of prayer here (there are several). Instead of focusing on you, prayer before reading the Bible is all about asking God to help you focus on him—to open your eyes, heart, and mind to his word and will.

Need a starting prayer before reading the Bible? This article from the Gospel Coalition can help.

One More Thought…

Reading the Bible will make your “gut instincts” more accurate.

The Israelites during Moses’ day had the benefit of hearing God speak and answer prayer directly. That’s not how God operates today. Yes, he is capable of talking to you in your dreams, but most of the time he’s more subtle. Beware of acting upon feelings or even your gut instincts. (“I felt God telling me to quit my job and start my own business.”)

If you are not getting a regular diet of God’s Word, studying it and meditating on it, that “feeling” is more likely to be from your own desires and sinful nature.

Drench yourself in his Word and you’ll become aligned to his will. This is how he speaks to us today, and the Holy Spirit comes through hearing God’s Word. Reading the Bible will make your “gut instincts” more accurate.

Get Started Today!

Check out my multitude of articles on the topic of prayer and Bible reading, starting with: