Praying the Bible

by Donald S. Whitney

All Christians know they should pray, but sometimes it’s hard to know how—especially if the minutes start to drag and our minds start to wander. Offering readers hope, encouragement, and the practical advice they’re looking for, this concise book by professor Donald Whitney outlines a simple, time-tested method that can help transform our prayer lives: praying the words of the Bible. Praying the Bible shows readers how to pray through portions of Scripture one line at a time, helping us stay focused by allowing God’s Word itself to direct our thoughts and words. Simple yet profound, this resource will prove invaluable to all Christians as they seek to commune with their heavenly Father in prayer each and every day.

Genres: Christian, Prayer, Christian Living, Theology, Nonfiction, Faith, Christianity

106 pages, Hardcover

First published July 31, 2015

About the author

DON WHITNEY has been Professor of Biblical spirituality and Associate Dean at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, since 2005. Before that, he held a similar position (the first such position in the six Southern Baptist seminaries) at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO, for 10 years. He is the founder and president of The Center for Biblical Spirituality. Don is a frequent speaker in churches, retreats, and conferences in the U.S. and abroad.

Don grew up in Osceola, AR, where he came to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. After graduating from Arkansas State, Don planned to finish law school and pursue a career in sportscasting. While at the University of Arkansas School of Law, he sensed God's call to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. He then enrolled at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX, graduating with a Master of Divinity degree in 1979. In 1987, Don completed a Doctor of Ministry degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. He earned a PhD in theology at the University of the Free State in Bloemfonteine, South Africa in 2013.

Prior to his ministry as a seminary professor, Don pastored Glenfield Baptist Church in Glen Ellyn, IL (a Chicago suburb), for almost 15 years. Altogether, he's served local churches in pastoral ministry for 24 years.

He is the author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, which has a companion Study Guide. He has also written How Can I Be Sure I'm a Christian?, Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, Simplify Your Spiritual Life, and Family Worship. His hobby is restoring and using old fountain pens.

Don lives with his wife, Caffy, in their home near Louisville. She teaches classes for seminary wives and is an artist, muralist, and illustrator. The Whitneys are parents of Laurelen.

Don's website is www.BiblicalSpirituality.org. He's on Twitter @DonWhitney and on Facebook.

Reviews

[Chelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

*This rating is based on an ARC provided by NetGalley.

The information in the book was very straight forward, which I appreciate. The method that was presented seems very solid and I'll probably use it in my own prayer life.

However, I just didn't feel like this was worthy of an entire book. The prayer method was so simple and direct that it could be read and understood through a more concise medium, like a blog post or essay. The entire epilogue and many of the chapters were reiterations of the main point of the book, and basically didn't really need to be in there.

Overall, it's an interesting premise, but I don't think there is a need for an entire book on something that I can explain to someone in five minutes.

[Becky Pliego · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review in 2015: I remember it was about 4 years ago that I learned to pray the Bible, and my prayer life changed forever. I don't remember from whom exactly I learned to do that; maybe it was Luther or was it Matthew Henry? Or maybe John Piper? I don't recall, but I can attest that praying the Bible can transform your prayer life significantly.

I am so very glad that D.S Whitney has taken the time to write this book. And I want to recommend it to all of you who are struggling in your prayer life, that don't know how to pray, and pray well. This is a very short book, but super practical.

Note: If you think that you are already praying the Bible because you add a few verses here and there then you need to read this book.

My review in 2017: This is a very practical book. Very helpful.

[Ana Avila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro corto (y creo que podría ser más corto) cambiará tu vida de oración. Si tienes dificultad para ser diligente en esta disciplina espiritual, tienes que leerlo.

***

This short book (and I think it could be shorter) will change your prayer life. If you struggle to be diligent in this spiritual discipline, you have to read it.

[Amy | Foxy Blogs · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're feeling bored with your prayer life, then this book might be for you. The author shares insightful tips on how to keep your prayers from becoming rote and uninspired.

The concept presented is simple yet powerful. I particularly enjoyed the idea of taking one of the Psalms, reading it line by line, and praying it into your personal situation.

Though the book is short and has the feel of a podcast, not everyone listens to podcasts, making this book a valuable resource for those looking to revitalize their prayer life.

Audiobook source: Audible Plus
Narrator: Donald S. Whitney
Length: 2h 04m

[Haley Annabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very easy-to-read, informative book. Whitney is a very entertaining, almost humorous, author. This book will definitely impact your christian life. If you haven't read this yet, I will say it is required reading ;)

[Jennifer Trzeciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent little book on praying through the Scriptures! I thoroughly enjoyed Whitney’s teaching on how to do it and his examples throughout. Highly recommend!

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the method proposed is a good practice, this book was incredibly repetitive and somehow far too long at only 91 pages. Whitney's text boils down to praying over the Psalms on a daily basis, which the Bible clearly tells us to do in multiple passages (Col 3:16, Eph 5:18, the example of those in the Bible praying God's Word back to Him, etc.). I was not a fan of the formula he provides for choosing Psalms, as it is easy enough to go through them in order or randomly. I was also concerned reading the suggestion to skim the Word and not worry about the actual meaning of the verses in context, rather to use the verses as a springboard for prayer. This is a slippery slope and not something that I believe should be advocated. Overall, a simple concept that boils down to what could have been a paragraph...and one that I'm surprised even needs to be taught when it's clear in the Bible.

[Daniel Ligon · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the extremely few books that I actually consider life-changing. Read in 2018, then again in 2021 and 2024 for church book discussions. I can’t recommend it highly enough!

[Matt Pitts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, concise, practical, immediately applicable, and potentially life changing (or at least prayer life changing). Highly recommended. I plan to ask my church to read it together for our next church wide book discussion.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher but was not required to provide a positive review.

[Jaxon Thacker · Rating 5 out of 5]

not exaggerating, this may end up being one of the most impactful books i’ve ever read.

if you struggle to pray continuously, with what to pray for, with who to pray for, with repeating the same things while you pray, or with just taking the time to pray AT ALL….please read this book or call me and i will give you the run down of what it says.

simple yet powerful.

[Coalición por el Evangelio]

En «Orando la Biblia», un pequeño pero extraordinario libro, el Dr. Donald Whitney nos enseña que la Biblia es la mejor guía que podemos (y debemos) utilizar en nuestras oraciones. Y eso es de esperarse. Si hemos dicho que Jesús demostró su disposición de dar sus palabras a los discípulos para que fueran guiados por ellas en oración, no es de extrañar que Cristo aún desee darnos de sus palabras para que las utilicemos en nuestras oraciones.

Lee la reseña en Coalición por el Evangelio.

[Gabie Peacock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a solid and practical theological book with action steps. This one is definitely one of those books that I can't wait to apply. The best part of this entire book is the author's sheer love of the Psalms. I am excited to implement the principles taught in this book into my prayer life and highly recommend it to all Christians!

One star off for being a bit repetitive and over-using the same tag lines, it can become a distraction to me as a reader.

[Ashton Roots · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book is so full of truth ! Take some time and learn how to pray the Bible! It’s awesome !

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I once heard that we should pray the scripture but without any depth explanation and archetype, thus what I did was only taking some verses from Psalms and trying to synthesize them into a prayer, it wasn't a bad approach but it lacks of contemplations and eventually leads me into a monotonous prayer.

For example, I always pick and pray these verses from Psalm and John before reading the bible:
"Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to dishonest gain. Turn my eyes away from looking at what is worthless, and revive me in Your ways." (Ps 119:36-37)
"Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your Law." (Ps 119:18)
"Teach me Your way, Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name." (Ps 86:11)
"Satisfy us in the morning with Your graciousness, that we may sing for joy and rejoice all our days." (Ps 90:14)
"Satisfy us in the morning with Your graciousness, that we may sing for joy and rejoice all our days." (Ps 119:38)
"Sanctify them (I change to the pronoun to me) in the truth; Your word is truth." (John 17:17)

Then I construct them into a prayer, but without depth meditations on each verses, just repeating them based on my memorization skill.
But this book's approach is exactly what I need to emulate in my prayer life, it really shows me that praying for 15 minutes, 30, or even an hour is possible without me have to struggle really hard on what to pray, how to pray, and how to avoid repetitions that will cause of boredom in my prayer and sense of failure.
We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19), and with the same pattern, we communicate to God because He first communicated to us. We will never be able to understand God unless He reveals Himself in both general and special revelations. So He needs to communicate first to us and shows us the pattern on how to communicate with Him, in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24).
He even made it possible for us to approach the throne of Grace by giving His Son as our only Mediator between us and the Father, so we can communicate with Him.
And moreover, Christ intercedes for us in the heavenly throne (Romans 8:34) and Holy Spirit also helps us how to pray because we don't know how to pray (Romans 8:26).

God the Father gave us His Son so we can approach His throne and communicate with Him.
God the Son gave us Himself as our propitiation in His vicarious atonement on the cross so we can communicate with the Father.
God the Spirit adopts us and also empowers us to call the Father "Abba Father" in our groaning communication with Him.

Prayer should not be boring, but if it is, and if we have the Holy Spirit in us; it is our method that is wrong.

[Kendra Kendle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish there were two ways to rate 1 book.

The content of this book is important for every Christian to read or encounter. I have no doubt my prayer life will improve dramatically from reading it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Unfortunately, I almost didn’t make it to that content because of the first 3 chapters that desperately needed a ruthless editor. I only stuck with it because a group from my church is reading it together. ⭐️⭐️

Tip: Start this book at chapter 4 and you’ll miss nothing.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Praying the Bible was a short book, but it was a powerful one. The way it explained a different way to pray (using the Bible, especially the Psalms), was quite interesting and I can see how it would help to keep prayer from becoming repetitive. I really liked this book and can see myself rereading sections in the future.

[Jason Herrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical. Encouraging. Would be great to hand out to all new members.

[Zachary Cowie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was easy to read and very practical. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to anyone, new convert or someone who has walked with the Lord their entire life. The writing style is very conversational, and it’s call to action is simple, yet profound.

I am a bit perplexed as to why the Lord’s Prayer didn’t play a role in the book, but the same method is most obviously used with the Lord’s Prayer as a structure. Perhaps it was too obvious? Either way, it does not detract from how helpful the book is. 5 stars. 👍

[Ryan Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is less than 100 pages and every Christian is gets bored during prayer or would say that they don’t have a good prayer life needs to read it. I’m keeping this one in my back pocket to recommend to people who want to learn how to pray. Lately I’ve been frustrated with my prayer life and I prayed “Lord just teach me how to pray because I’m not very good at it”. This book was a huge answer to that and for the past 3 days I’ve been implementing what I’ve learned and prayer feels so much more intimate and refreshing!

PLEASE READ THIS BOOK IT WILL ONLY TAKE YOU 2 HOURS MAX

[John Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, short book. Massive meaningful change in how I pray. Recommend for any Christian!

[Adam T. Calvert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book grew on me. At first, based on all the accolades and endorsements, I was expecting this amazing, transforming read on prayer life. But then as I started reading it, I was a little disappointed.

It seemed like the author was advocating a kind of “look at a passage of Scripture” and stream-of-consciousness pray about what it makes you think of. And it is kind of like that, but at the same time definitely different. Whitney does make sure to be clear that the way he is talking about praying is NOT the way he is advocating interpreting Scripture (hermeneutics). They are two very different disciplines.

Regardless, after reading the book and thinking, “Hmmm, not as good as I thought it would be,” I gave it a try. Lo and behold, it was very interesting - as interesting as one of the chapters said it would be (despite my skepticism). So I gave it another try. And then another.

Pretty soon I find myself not wanting to pray unless I have the Scriptures in front of me. And if I don’t have them, I try to go off memory for a framework of prayer. So…yes, this method really does change your prayer life; and keeps you from boredom with prayer and from praying the “same old things about the same old things" - at least it did for me.

Definitely recommended reading for all Christians.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a useful book on prayer. The premise is very sound - use the Bible, particularly the Psalms, to frame your prayers rather than praying the same thing day after day. It's a very quick read, but there's really not a lot to it. It probably could have been expressed just as adequately in pamphlet form. The only quibble I had was when the author discouraged getting "mystical" and actually listening for God to speak back to you. Instead, he insisted that the Bible itself was God's half of the conversation. While I agree that most of what I hear from God is from verses that speak to me at very specific times, I think it's a mistake to discourage listening for God to speak in other ways. I would have liked to see him talk about how to take what you think God might be saying to you and examine it in light of the Bible to test its validity instead of dismissing it out of hand. For anyone who struggles with prayer, though, this is a helpful tool.

[Shannon Hrinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend! This book describes a method for praying through passages of the Bible — using the language of Scripture, the ideas, etc as a springboard for personal prayer and communion with God.

Very clear, to the point, and relatable. Simple enough for anyone, but profound enough to make a difference to everyone.

If you’ve already read Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by the same author, this book isn’t necessary. It’s like an expansion on the prayer chapter with a few additional examples and more commentary. But, if you have not read Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, you should read this!!

[Heidi Mandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book actually changed my approach to prayer, rather than just learning more about it or why it’s important. He provides practical steps to living a prayer filled life that utilized the Bible as your source for “prompts”. A quick and compact read, but still very effective. Highly recommend!!!

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little book on the why and how of praying God's Word. A simple concept but one that can radically change your prayer life.

[Daniel Olivares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro es muy útil. Orar leyendo la biblia nos permite escuchar a Dios y luego responder a su mensaje. Es un libro pequeño y muy práctico sobre un tema importante como la oración.

[Emma Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seeking a solution to the monotonous prayer cycle many believers find themselves in, Donald Whitney provides very practical guideance for how one can use God's Word to respond to Him in prayer. By doing this, we never run out of things to say, helping our minds refrain from wandering and turning them heavenward. In this quick read, Whitney provides examples of how to read through Psalms, as well as New Testament epistles and narrative. It was an encouragement to me and I would highly recommend it to others seeking to strengthen their own prayer life.

[Nadia Telecky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was mid. Chapters 8-10 were by far the best, though the book itself seemed a bit redundant.

Takeaways:

•We don’t pray enough (or at least I don’t.)
•When we pray, we often find ourselves praying the same things with slightly different wording.
•Scripture isn’t something God only gave us to read, but also to pray. When we pray through scripture, we let God guide us in prayer. (less drift or boredom)
•Often we spend hours a day in conversation with other yet minutes in prayer with Our Father. To say we value relationship with the Lord is to intentionally spend time conversing through His word.

[Laura Robinson (naptimereaders) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for any believer looking for a fresh way to pray using Scripture! I have personally been praying the Bible for years; little did I know there was a book that teaches one how to do it! I love being able to point others to this resource as they grow in their own practice of prayer.

This book is pretty short, about 80 pages. I did feel at times it could be a blogpost but alas, it’s a little book!

Each day you spend reading this book, you will walk away being encouraged & excited to pray for your family & friends, our country & the world. Beyond just that, you will be driven to pick up the Bible as the guide to your time with the Lord. It’s easy to get caught up looking for the “next best thing” when it comes to unlocking the power of our time in prayer. But what if the very thing we need for a rich prayer life is the Word of God within which we find “everything needed for life and godliness”(2 Peter 1:3).

Thank you to @crossway for a complimentary book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

[Hannah Musil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every believer should read this book!!