Reading the Bible to God as prayer

Tyler52 said:

Is this a thing?

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I recall people who would use the bible (psalms mostly) like some traditions use a book of prayers.

Sometimes the bible is quoted then a request is made based on a similar principle.

Tyler52 said:

Is this a thing?

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"Take Words with you - say this..."

Hosea 14:2
Take words with you,
And return to the Lord.
Say to Him,
“Take away all iniquity;
Receive us graciously,
For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips."

Is 55:11
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Tyler52 said:

Is this a thing?

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Yes, absolutely, in several churches and several forms.

Particularly as @Gregory Thompson mentioned, the Psalter (the Book of Psalms) which are sung and prayed by all traditional churches. Indeed Coptic monks will memorize most of the Psalter as part of the Agpeya, the Liturgy of the Hours, which also includes seven invariant Gospel lessons, which they will recite throughout the day, while Coptic laity pray them together. In addition to singing the Psalms, when reading the Agpeya, the Copts have the unique practice of distributing the large number of Psalms proper to each hour among the congregants, so usually each person present has two or three to pray.

The Eastern Orthodox do the entire Psalter twice during Lent and weekly the rest of the year, and this was the practice in the Roman Church before the liturgical changes in 1969; now, as part of the “Liturgy of the Hours”, despite the massive reduction in the amount of texts read, the Psalter is also read over the course of an entire month, which I regard as a sluggish pace which was first introduced in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, but if I recall, it, this idea was first proposed by a Roman Catholic Cardinal Quinones, who also proposed many of the changes of the the condensed Divine Office of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, which were successful in revitalizing communal attendance of Morning and Evening Prayer, which had disappeared in most of Catholic Europe as the Divine Office had become something of a private devotion for priests, which remains a problem in your average Roman Catholic parish at present. The Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Assyrian Church of the East, on the other hand, have not had the same problems getting people to turn out for the Divine Office; in particular, the Copts with Psalmody, also known as Midnight praises, especially in Advent where it is called Khiakh Praises, and the Athonite monks, Russians, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Hagiopolitan Greeks, and the Orthodox Church in America with All Night Vigils.

Indeed, Vespers and All Night Vigils is known for converting people to Orthodoxy, including Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, memory eternal, and also myself. The same is true of Coptic Psalmody. These are really beautiful services.

Or reading Scripture is giving back to God what he has given us.

Tyler52 said:

Is this a thing?

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I recite the Lord's prayer and it's in the Bible. That prayer is special to me because it says to deliver us from evil.

Tyler52 said:

Is this a thing?

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With benefits! >>

"Psalm 1​

Psalm 1 is a biblical passage that contrasts the way of the righteous with that of the wicked. Here's a summary of its key points:

• Verse 1: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. This verse sets the tone for the psalm, describing the righteous person who avoids evil influences.
• Verse 2: But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. This verse highlights the importance of meditating on God's law as a source of guidance and joy."

Ain't Zwinglian said:

Or reading Scripture is giving back to God what he has given us.

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This is quite a nice view of a lot of things in general of a liturgical nature, including the reading of scripture in the church, which is a vital part of the Divine Liturgy.

soldier of light said:

I recite the Lord's prayer and it's in the Bible. That prayer is special to me because it says to deliver us from evil.

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Luther himself wrote about the meaning of the Seventh Petition of the Lord's prayer....Deliver us from evil when he say..."What does this mean?"

We pray in this petition, as the sum of all, that our Father in heaven would deliver us from every evil of body and soul, property and honor; and at last, when the hour of death shall come, grant us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.

The other six petitions to the Lord's prayer can be found in any internet search under "Luther's small catechism."

Ain't Zwinglian said:

Luther himself wrote about the meaning of the Seventh Petition of the Lord's prayer....Deliver us from evil when he say..."What does this mean?"

We pray in this petition, as the sum of all, that our Father in heaven would deliver us from every evil of body and soul, property and honor; and at last, when the hour of death shall come, grant us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.

The other six petitions to the Lord's prayer can be found in any internet search under "Luther's small catechism."

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Oh by the way while there is no good Small Catechism for the Eastern Orthodox church, the Syriac Orthodox church does publish a good one which I like.

I’ve had in mind a website that compares the catechisms of diffeerent Christian denominations and other religions. I came across a small catechism I think for either the Druze or the Yarsani sect which was very peculiar, as these religions do not disclose a great deal to outsiders (almost nothing in fact), so it was a rare glimpse into their strange beliefs.

I think people would be led to the more Orthodox forms of Christianity such as Lutheranism and the Eastern churches by seeing these catechisms compared.

The Liturgist said:

Oh by the way while there is no good Small Catechism for the Eastern Orthodox church, the Syriac Orthodox church does publish a good one which I like.

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Yes there is a Catechism for Greek Orthodox Church of America.....IN ENGLISH and in MS Word.


I use it from time to time.

A longer Catechism from the Russian Orthodox church...the one I use mostly.....


Translated into English 1845