The document emphasizes the interconnection between meditation, prayer, and scripture reading, asserting that meditation deepens the understanding of the Bible, thereby enriching prayer life. It cites various historical figures who advocate for the importance of meditation as a precursor to effective prayer, suggesting that prayer is more impactful when it follows thoughtful meditation. The document encourages learning from other prayer warriors to enhance one's own prayer journey.

1. By praying
Just as we learn a foreign
language by using it - we
might read about it, know
how to pronounce words,
build sentences etc. - but
ultimately we have to speak
out the language - HSp
helps us in this, Jn
16:13 But when he, the
Spirit of truth, comes, he will
guide you into all the truth.
Tuesday 8 May 2012

2. By meditating on scripture
Meditation is the missing link
between Bible intake and prayer.
Reading the Bible should lead us
into prayer, should help us to
pray. After reading the Bible
meditation allows us to take it
deeper into ourselves, to digest it
- then we can take it back and talk
to the Lord about it in a
meaningful way. What we read has
now become more meaningful and
purposeful in our lives.
Tuesday 8 May 2012

3. John Owen: “Pray as you think.
Consciously embrace with your
heart every gleam of light and
truth that comes to your mind.
Thank God for and pray about
everything that strikes you
powerfully”
Matthew remarked on Psalm 19:14
“David’s prayers were not his
words only, but his meditations; as
meditation is the best preparation
for prayer, so prayer is the best
result of meditation. Meditation
and prayer go together.”
Tuesday 8 May 2012

4. Thomas Manton, Puritan pastor said
“God’s Word feeds meditation and
meditation feeds prayer. These duties
go hand in hand; meditation must
follow hearing and precede prayer.
To hear and not to pray is unfruitful.
It is rashness to pray and not
meditate. What we take in by the
Word we digest by meditation and let
out by prayer. Men are barren, dry
and sapless in their their prayers for
want of exercising themselves in holy
thoughts.”
Tuesday 8 May 2012

5. William Bates, Puritan pastor indicated
“What is the reason that our desires
like an arrow shot from a weak bow
do not reach the mark? But only this,
we do not meditate before we pray.
Our prayers are ineffectual if we
don’t meditate before we pray.”
Tuesday 8 May 2012

6. Speaking of the puritans Peter Toon wrote,
“To read the Bible and not to meditate was
seen as an unfruitful exercise: better to read
one chapter and meditate afterward then to
read several chapters and not to meditate.
Likewise to meditate and not to pray was like
preparing to run a race and never leaving the
starting line. The three duties of reading
Scripture, meditation, and prayer belonged
together, and though each could be done
occasionally on its own, as formal duties to
God they were best done together.”
Tuesday 8 May 2012

7. Whitney finishes this section with some insight from
George Muller,
“It has pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, the benefit of
which I have not lost, for more than fourteen years.The point is
this: I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and
primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to
have my soul happy in the Lord.The first thing to be concerned
about was not how much I might serve the Lord, or how I might
glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state,
and how my inner man might be nourished...Before this time
my practice had been, at least for ten years previously, as an
habitual thing, to give myself to prayer, after having dressed
myself in the morning...
Tuesday 8 May 2012

8. Now, I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to
give myself to the reading of the Word of God, and to meditation
on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged,
warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, by means of the
Word of God, while meditating on it, my heart might be brought
into experiential communion with the Lord...I began therefore to
meditate on the New Testament from the beginning, early in the
morning.The first thing I did, after having asked in a few words
the Lord’s blessing upon his precious Word, was, to begin to
meditate on the Word of God, searching as it were into every
verse, to get blessing out of it; not for the sake of the public
ministry of the Word, not for the sake of preaching on what I
had meditated upon, but for the sake of obtaining food for my
own soul.
Tuesday 8 May 2012

9. The result I have found to be almost
invariably this, that after a very few
minutes my soul has been led to
confession, or to thanksgiving, or to
intercession, or to supplication; so
that, though I did not, as it were,
give myself to prayer, but to
meditation, yet it turned almost
immediately more or less into
prayer.
The full story is well
worth reading: http://
webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?
q=cache:lHJJhsc8TlEJ:www.connsbrook.org.uk/
George%2520Muller%2520and%2520Bible
%2520Reading.doc+&hl=en&gl=uk
Tuesday 8 May 2012

10. By praying with others
One of the great learning experiences for
the disciples must have been being with
him and hearing Jesus pray.
Find good models in prayer and learn
from them.
Do not repeat their habits but learn from
their insight, passion, use of scripture etc.
Do not repeat their words - or repeat
the same words over and over Matt
6:7
Make it a habit to pray with other people
- many great movements have started in
this way
Tuesday 8 May 2012

11. By reading about
prayer
Remember Proverbs
27:17 & 13:20
Take time to read of the
“great” prayer warriors -
learn from their struggles as
well as their successes.
Almost every great man or
woman who achieved things
for God were people who
prayed and prayed and
prayed.
Tuesday 8 May 2012

12. By reading about
As iron sharpens
prayer
iron, so one
Remember Proverbs
person sharpens
27:17 & 13:20
Take time to read of the
another.
“great” prayer warriors -
learn from their struggles as
Walk with the
well as their successes.
wise and become
Almost every great man or
wise, for a
woman who achieved things
for God were people ofwho
companion
prayed and prayed and
fools suffers harm.
prayed.
Tuesday 8 May 2012

13. By reading about
prayer
Remember Proverbs
27:17 & 13:20
Take time to read of the
“great” prayer warriors -
learn from their struggles as
well as their successes.
Almost every great man or
woman who achieved things
for God were people who
prayed and prayed and
prayed.
Tuesday 8 May 2012