Prayer to Make a Daily Habit of Scripture

Use this prayer to help the people in your church create a specific time, place, and routine to read God’s Word.

Quick Prayer

Please pray aloud:
Sovereign Lord, help the people in my church make a habit of Scripture. Help us to seek you first before our schedule, our distractions, even our own wisdom. Move us to create a specific time and place where we can consistently read your Word.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Full Prayer

Please pray aloud:
Sovereign Lord, help the people of my church make a daily habit of Scripture.

Like birds eating seed that falls on the path, there are many things that steal your Word from our lives—

I confess we avoid your Word because we’re too busy, God. We wake up late and rush off to schedules full of meetings and errands. We tap our fingers anxiously at stoplights and huff in frustration at checkout lines.

I confess we avoid your Word because we’re too distracted, God. We elevate hobbies to lifestyles. We mindlessly scroll through social media looking for dopamine hits. We binge on our favorite TV show.

I confess we avoid your Word because we’re too wise in our own eyes, God. We think through our problems and concerns and our first instinct is what we would do or should do to fix the situation. Each one does what is right in their own eyes and we move on without ever pausing to hear your counsel.

For our busyness, our idols, and our arrogance, forgive us, Lord. Let your grace inspire us to seek you first.

Let your grace inspire us to seek you first.
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Help us make a habit of time to read your Word. Whether it’s first thing in the morning or the last thing in the evening, help us make a consistent time where we can hear from you, God. Let the old order pass away as you make us new! We want to fit our activities around your Word, not the other way around, Father.

Help us make a habit of place to read your Word. Help us all create a consistent and hard-to-miss location where we can come away with you. A chair, a desk, a bed—show each of us what it looks to consecrate and dedicate that place for communion with you.

Help us make a reading plan. Whether it’s one paragraph, one chapter, or multiple sections a day, make us intentional in reading your Word. Each of us are motivated by different things, so if a habit tracker or a small devotional helps us be more faithful, equip us, Lord.

And when we stumble and miss a day in our reading Scripture, help us give ourselves the same grace you give so we can try again the next day free from guilt!

Oh, what we would be, what could be, if the people of my church loved your Word and meditated on it day and night! Make us a people growing in our knowledge of you, a people who can recognize your voice when you speak, a people with your Word hidden in our hearts!

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Some of the Scripture used in today’s prayer:
Matthew 13:4, Judges 21:25, Matthew 6:33, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Mark 6:31, Ephesians 4:12, Psalm 119:97, Psalm 119:11, 2 Peter 3:18, John 10:27