Praying the Bible

The Book of Prayers

Wesley Campbell and Stacey Campbell

• Publisher: Chosen Books
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781441230300
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

New Edition of a Powerful Prayer Tool from Two Ministry LeadersIf you long for spiritual breakthrough, use the method as tried and true as the Bible itself: Pray the Bible out loud before moving into silent communion with God. By Jesus' example, we know that praying the Scriptures aloud brings powerful results. It can also provide focus and direction for your prayer life.In this revised edition of Praying the Bible: The Book of Prayers, Wesley and Stacey Campbell take the ancient tradition of the prayer book and give it a modern twist. They present passages of Scripture that are actually prayers, divided according to eight categories--the prayers of Jesus, prayers of the apostles, prayers of wisdom, Psalms, and more. This gives you quick and easy access to 88 Bible prayers that speak to any situation in life. Each section includes an introduction and practical instruction on how to pray the specific type of prayer. Whether you are a novice or a seasoned intercessor, this unique prayer tool will lead you on a pathway to a deeper life with God.EndorsementOne of the most valuable tools that intercessors can use for prayer.--Cindy Jacobs

Section One
Theophanies

Introduction

What are the theophanies and why begin Praying the Bible: The Book of Prayers with these selections of Scripture? These two questions must be answered at the outset, as they greatly affect the way we pray. The Bible commands us to pray, to meditate and to recite the Law to God. Of course, people of every religion pray, and they all think they are praying to God. But who is right? Which god is the true God? Where is He? What is He like? What is He doing? These are questions that any worshiper will consider when he or she sets aside time to talk to God.

When speaking on the topic of prayer, I often ask a congregation to stand up so that I can give them a test. The question I give them is this: If you know the location of at least four of the many God sightings in the Bible, and you can generally recount what the prophet saw, then stay standing. At first people begin to look around, dumbfounded. Then, slowly, with sheepish, sideway glances, almost everyone begins to sit down. Rarely is even 3 percent of the audience left standing. Almost no one is in the regular practice of praying the theophanies—that is, the God sightings.

It is hard to overstate the seriousness of this spiritual omission. For instance, imagine if seven of the most holy, prophetically inspired men and women of all of Christendom made a pilgrimage to a mountain, where they fasted and prayed for a week for a breakthrough with God. Imagine that God actually came down in a full-blown, visible display of His glory. Imagine that these seven were overwhelmed and laid low in the awesome presence of God. Then, as soon as they were able, they came down and declared that they had seen God with their eyes and that they would be gathering at a specific time and place to tell about it. Who wouldn’t want to be there? Who wouldn’t want to read a detailed account?

Yet we have the greatest holy men of history—men like Moses (see Exodus 24, 34); Isaiah (see Isaiah 6); Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 1, 10); Daniel (see Daniel 7, 10); Peter (see Matthew 17); and John (see Revelation 1, 4, 19, 21)—all of whom say they saw God (or the glorified Christ) with their eyes and wrote down what they saw. How absurd is it, then, for devoted believers who have given their whole lives to love and serve God, who say they believe in the inspiration and inerrancy of these accounts, to not even know where God sightings are found, much less be able to recite them in their minds and spirits?

The word theophanies derives its meaning from two Greek words: theos and phaino. Theos means “God” and phaino means “to appear or show”; hence, the “God appearances.” The Old Testament narrates numerous times when the infinite, invisible God “shows up” in specific, “concrete” ways. God revealed Himself “right there” in front of people. God walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day in the Garden (see Genesis 3:8). He came upon Abraham as one of three traveling strangers (see Genesis 18:1, 13). He showed Himself as an awesome King to Isaiah, complete with throne room, smoke and seraphic attendants (see Isaiah 6:1–4). It is these instances and more that show us glimpses of where God lives and who is around Him and, to some extent, what He is doing. For instance, in Daniel 7:9–10, the “Ancient of Days” is sitting on...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Endorsements
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Introduction
• Section One: Theophanies
• Section Two: The Psalms
• Section Three: Prayers of Wisdom
• Section Four: The Song of Songs
• Section Five: Prayers of the Prophets
• Section Six: The Prayers of Jesus
• Section Seven: Apostolic Prayers
• Section Eight: Hymns of the Revelation
• Organizational “Praying the Bible” Prayer Chart
• Notes
• About the Authors
• Books by Wesley & Stacey Campbell
• Back Cover