Praying the Scriptures with Bible Society

Jesus demonstrated what a lifestyle of drawing near to God in prayer looks like. He didn’t just pray in public places with his disciples or in the temple, but ‘often withdrew to lonely places and prayed’ (Luke 5.16, NIV). Retreating from the busyness of his ministry to spend time alone with the Father was a normal thing for him. Prayer was a constant in his earthly life.

This brand new pack of prayer cards from Bible Society has been created with the same prayerful pursuit of God in mind. Each pack comes with ten themed cards that feature scriptures and declarations to help you draw near to God and pray into any situation you might be facing.

Amanda Bedzrah, author and Bible teacher, wrote the prayers and declarations on these cards to help you embed the Scriptures into your daily prayer life. ‘To be given the opportunity to use my passion for prayer and the Bible to serve the body of Christ is a true blessing! I believe in the power of prayer and speaking God’s word, and these cards provide an opportunity to do both in an accessible way.’

Amanda shared with us some of the key benefits of the cards, including how they help us to pray the Scriptures. ‘Speaking God’s word when we pray assures us that we are not praying amiss,’ Amanda shares. ‘They also help us to build our faith by reminding us to pray out loud and speak out God’s word. This link between increased faith and God’s word comes from Romans 10.17, which tells us, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

‘These cards also help us pray over specific areas of our lives because they’re themed. They remind us to be intentional in asking God for things like hope, forgiveness, and provision.’ Amanda also loves that the cards help us to build our self-esteem and confidence. ‘The words of affirmation on the cards come from the Scriptures and remind us of who we are in Christ.’

Amanda is excited about the potential these prayer cards have to be used to serve others. ‘They are a great gift to bless our friends and families to support them in their daily devotion alongside regular prayer and Bible study.’

Let’s learn to pursue God and pray the way Jesus taught in his Sermon on the Mount, ‘your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’ (Matthew 6.10, NIV), with a confident assurance that he will do all that he has promised.

Start praying the Scriptures today. Order a prayer card pack for yourself or your family and friends for only £3.99 at www.biblesociety.org.uk/keepthefaithprayer    

The power of prayer around the world

Individuals and even whole communities can be transformed as they encounter the love and healing touch of Jesus within the Scriptures. We want to share with you this incredible story of how the power of prayer brought the Bible to someone for whom poverty had previously put it out of reach. This is just one example of something we’ve experienced to be true time and time again: ‘The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective’ (James 5.16, NIV).

Poverty meant that 13-year-old Victoire could never buy a Bible of her own. She lives in the West African country of Togo with her mum. Her father left when she was a baby. Each day is a desperate struggle to make ends meet. Like every vulnerable community across Africa, Victoire and her mum have been hit hard by the global economic crisis.

But Victoire knew one thing would make a difference in her life: the Bible. And she prayed for one. ‘My friends at church who had Bibles seemed to be happier than those of us who didn’t have one,’ Victoire says. Now Victoire has a Bible.

‘I am overjoyed! It’s such a precious gift that will help me grow in my knowledge of the word of God,’ said Victoire, beaming with joy. Thanks to your support, a total of 3,000 Bibles will be distributed in Togo through Bible Society’s ‘I have my first Bible, how marvellous’ project.

Partner with us in praying for the nations by subscribing to Word in Action, our magazine dedicated to keeping you up to date on prayer needs around the world, at https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/wia_keepthefaith