Bible and the Gospel | How Should Christians Engage in Prayer? (Part 1)
Learn why Christians should be taught how to pray and how praying Scripture shapes our hearts, minds, and daily walk with God.
Learn more about Cedarville’s Bible Minor Project: https://cedarville.edu/BibleMinorProject
Time Stamps:
0:00 Why be taught how to pray?
0:31 Common objections — “just talk to God” and why prayer still needs teaching
1:21 “Talk to God like a friend” — approaching God rightly
1:42 “Talk like you’re talking to your dad” — learning reverence and relationship
2:35 Parents teaching children how to speak rightly
2:42 Jesus’ disciples asking, “Lord, teach us to pray”
3:43 Why teaching prayer is biblical and practical
4:26 How Scripture itself shapes the way we pray
5:18 Teaching prayer as discipleship and preparation
6:04 Learning to lament and give thanks in every season
6:11 How prayer reinforces the church’s unity
6:27 Introducing “Praying the Bible” — combining Bible reading and prayer
7:25 Why praying Scripture matters — avoiding distraction, stagnation, and repetition
8:04 Donald Whitney on circulating God’s words back to Him
8:37 How praying Scripture keeps us aligned with God’s will
8:42 Benefits of praying the Bible: engaging the senses, hearing from God, preventing man-centeredness
10:27 Prayer as structure and focus for devotion
11:08 Recommended resources — Praying the Bible (Donald Whitney), Prayer That Turns the World Upside Down (Albert Mohler)
12:11 How to pray the Bible — Psalms, Paul’s prayers, the Lord’s Prayer, and the ACTS model
13:19 Importance of proper interpretation when praying Scripture
14:02 Praying the Psalms — letting God’s inspired prayers shape our emotions
15:03 Example exercise: Psalms of the day method
17:18 How Psalms help believers praise, lament, and trust
18:06 Using Psalms to align emotion and theology
19:22 Distinction between Psalms and Proverbs in prayer
19:50 Praying Paul’s prayers — examples from the New Testament
20:04 What you’d want your pastor to pray for you
21:12 Recognizing how our own prayers differ from Paul’s focus
22:14 Book recommendation: Praying with Paul by D. A. Carson
22:32 How Paul’s prayers guide our intercession
23:07 Paul’s focus on spiritual growth and Gospel advancement
24:12 Paul’s transparency — telling people he prays for them
25:32 Pastoral letter writing as modern prayer encouragement
27:07 Balancing prayer for the soul and circumstances
28:13 Thanking God for others like Paul did
30:00 How to use Paul’s prayers in your life and community
30:38 Example: praying Colossians 1 aloud
39:23 Reflection on the experience — focus, content, and depth
40:23 Praying Scripture gives structure, focus, and theological direction
41:15 Q&A on what to do when a verse doesn’t “stick out”
In this session from Bible & the Gospel, Dr. Trent Rogers unpacks what it means to pray the Bible — a spiritual discipline that engages both Scripture and prayer as one integrated act of worship. Beginning with Jesus’ words, “Lord, teach us to pray,” he explains why learning how to pray biblically is vital, even though prayer may feel natural. The lesson outlines how Scripture itself models and shapes prayer, protecting believers from distraction, self-centered requests, and theological error.
Interested in Cedarville University? Learn more here:
Explore the Bible Minor project: https://cedarville.edu/BibleMinorProject
Apply or learn more about Admissions: https://cedarville.edu/admissions
Financial aid and scholarships: https://www.cedarville.edu/FinAid
Plan a campus visit: https://cedarville.edu/visit
Browse academic programs: https://cedarville.edu/academics
# CedarvilleUniversity #BibleMinor #Prayer #SpiritualDisciplines #ChristianFaith #PrayingScripture