Praying the Prayers of the Bible

by James Banks

Over 150,000 books in print.

Spending time in prayer is necessary to develop and maintain a personal relationship with God. In Praying the Prayers of the Bible , author James Banks provides a collection of prayers to help readers engage in intimate conversations with God. Readers can find prayers of praise and thanksgiving, prayers for wisdom and direction, prayers for blessing, and much more. This powerful book of prayers encourages readers not only to strengthen their relationship with God, but also to apply His Word to their daily life. Readers can discover how to respond to God’s invitation to draw nearer to Him as they pray the prayers of the Bible.

Genres: Prayer, Christian, Christian Living

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2013

About the author

Dr. James Banks is the author of Prayers for Prodigals, Prayers for Your Children, Praying the Prayers of the Bible, Praying Together, and Praying with Jesus. Through books, blog posts, and magazine articles, he regularly encourages people to pray. Dr. Banks has been a pastor and church planter for more than twenty-five years and lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife, Cari.

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

In James Banks' book "Praying the Prayers of the Bible" he guides his readers in a way of incorporating scripture into daily prayer. Prayer that is embedded with scripture is very powerful. Learning to pray in this way, is beneficial especially when praying specific prayers. This book is structured in a way that flows freely. Readers are encouraged to come before God's throne, seek His face and talk to Him in prayer while implementing the Word of God. This book has different sections: Prayers to Praise and Honor God, Prayers to say Thank You, Prayers to Strengthen Faith and Give Ourselves to God, Prayers About Everyday Needs, Prayers to Confess Sin and Humble Ourselves, Prayers for Guidance and Direction, Prayers for Help and Protection, Wrestling Prayers, and Blessing Prayers. Each section begins with a reading of reflection that helped to clear my mind, focus solely on God and on what I prayed for.

When I initially picked this book up and decided to read it, my attention was drawn to the sections of Prayers to Praise and Honor God, and Prayers to Say Thank You. When I noticed that these sections were at the beginning of the book, that was a good sign because every prayer should begin with praising, honoring, worshipping and thanking God. It is important to exalt the name of Jesus, before lifting up any concern or request. I flipped through the book, and then noticed there were prayers with headings, making each prayer specific. Below the prayers, scripture passages are listed in order for the reader to know the portions of the Bible that are being used in prayer. Every section ends with Prayer Starters, for the reader to use in order to begin a specific prayer, and then extend the prayer in his or her own way. I like that the Prayer Starters are worded in a personal way, making it easy to say them aloud and continue in prayer.
Passages of scripture are listed below the Prayer Starters as well. I never had to wonder where sections of prayers were taken from. I really enjoyed praying prayers taken from the book of Psalms.

"Praying the Prayers of the Bible" is not a big book, yet it covers so much and sheds light on portions of scripture to be used for when you need encouragement, when you want to be closer to God, when you need strength, when you need to forgive someone, when you want to trust God more, and the list goes on. What I listed can be found along with other listings at the end of the book in a section called "When to Pray These Prayers." James Banks leaves his readers with a reference section to use, in order to know what page to turn to in any situation. This is important, especially for those urgent prayers. The final section is an Old and New Testament Scripture Index, that includes every verse and scripture passage used in the book, with pages numbers.

This book is very thorough, and it is not a book to read through and use only one time. I will be referring to this book as needed. There are several portions of scripture that I have studied, learned and memorized throughout my life, because as a Christian, the Word of God is my weapon. I like to study and use the Word God continually, especially in prayer. I definitely felt peace from God, and His loving embrace while praying the prayers of the Bible. I was also encouraged. Reading the reflection portions, really helped me to meditate on the goodness of Jesus, before going into prayer. I also enjoyed reading about the lives of different people in the Bible, connecting their feelings with my feelings and then using their prayers in my prayers. It was a powerful experience. I definitely recommend this book, and I gave it 5 out of 5 stars.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book! “Praying the prayers of the Bible” is inspiring and motivational. It shows us that prayer doesn’t have to be dry and boring. Praying is simply talking to God from the heart. Collecting many of the Bible prayers in one separate book is a wonderful way to show and tell us how those who went before us (even Jesus) prayed. We can pray those same prayers to God. Our circumstances may be different than those who first said the prayer, but the needs and emotions are just as real today and the desire for God to come to our aid is just as urgent.

The book is organized into several basic parts:
1. Prayers to praise and honor God.
2. Prayers to say thank you.
3. Prayers to strengthen faith and give ourselves to God.
4. Prayers about everyday needs.
5. Prayers to confess our sin and humble ourselves.
6. Prayers for help and protection
7. Wresting prayers
8. Blessing Prayers

The author tells us that Jesus prayed the prayers of the Old Testament. Even when He was on the cross and called out “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me” (Matt 27:46), He is praying the first verse of Psalms 22. When He cries “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands” (Luke 23:46), He is praying the first words of Psalm 31:5. Mr. Banks says that the very fact that Jesus’ last words on the cross were prayers from God’s word should not be missed.

I highly recommend this book. It was a joy to read and is a book I will keep within easy reach at all times.

I was provided a free copy of this book for review from Discovery House Publishers. I was under no obligation to provide a favorable review.

[Gail Welborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Learn how to use the Bible to petition the Lord in prayer***

The Lord invites everyone to “Come and talk with Me” in Psalm 27:8, yet many find prayer difficult. Sometimes lack of self-worth prevents prayer, other times the pain, fear or sorrow is too great to put into words, while others feel intimidated and don’t know what to say to an “all-powerful, all-knowing Creator.” For these reasons and more Dr. James Banks penned praying the Prayers of the Bible, to encourage personal prayer and inspire readers with prayer examples from the Bible.

The collection of categorized prayers is divided into nine different prayer themes, further divided into “full length prayers” and “prayer starters” to help “jump-start” prayer. Brief “reflections” introduce each theme, similar to devotions that elaborate on God’s Word.
Themes include prayers…Full Review: www.examiner.com/list/praying-the-pra...

[Ron Dellaguardia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Go-to Prayer book

I would pay at least $100 for this book. I am serious. Why? Because when I pray in the morning, I often cannot find the right words, or my words are pathetic. And I found a solution to my ineptness in this book of God's collected and organized words. The book is filled with scripture verses. When I want to praise and honor God, there is a section with verses of just that from many books of the bible. So I read God's words of praise back to him. After awhile, they almost feel like my words because I become so sincere about them. The book is about 90% scripture, and it is just what I wanted. In the beginning there are "prayer starters" as a tool to help you get started (I haven't used them yet, I always start in the first section "praising and honoring God). There are nine sections including "prayers to say thank you", prayers to: strengthen your faith, daily needs, confessing sin and humbling ourselves", guidance, help and protection, for blessings, and a few more. I am so grateful for this book because it has helped me so much. I would recommend it without reservation to anyone wanting to enhance their communion and prayers to our almighty and loving God.

[Stephanie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Awesome

This is a wonderful book to get you in the mood and posture for prayer, especially when you do not know what to pray for. The devotions along in this book is worth getting this book. This book just fill like it was Holy Spirit inspired. Just beautiful! The prayers are so inspiring, and I love that they are scriptures. This is one thing that l do want to learn how to do, pray more of God's Word back to the Father. Get this book. You will not be disappointed.

[Marc Langefeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful book organized prayers of the NLT Bible into sections that can be prayed during appropriate times in your life. It has helped me to praise God more easily and to draw closer to God! Thank you, James Banks, for writing it!

[Justin Parris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm definately praying more because of it.

[Jessica Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

This helped my prayer life so much! I pray through scripture regularly now, wherever I’m reading. Using our Father’s words to talk to Him deepens the conversation.

[DAVID WILSON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daily prayer life is essential to my life. Prayer that is embedded with scripture is very powerful.

[Laura Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking for a way to freshen up your prayer life? Dr. James Banks's new book, "Praying the Prayers of the Bible," guarantees added freshness for the flattest of prayer lives.

In the book, Dr. Banks focuses on helping readers make the prayers of the Bible their own. He says, "When we pray the prayers of the Bible, we learn healthy patterns for communicating with God instead of just rushing in with whatever is on our minds at the moment. Praying these prayers helps us praise Him more and reach new depths of thankfulness. They also teach us how to intercede for others, be brutally honest about our sins, and give more of ourselves to God. They show us how to wrestle with doubts and questions and pour out our hearts to God, even proving that we're allowed to ask Him 'Why' and 'How long?'"

"Praying the Prayers of the Bible" certainly energized my prayer life. It’s given me new words, new ways, to express my thoughts and feelings. As I read and prayed through the “Prayers for Praising and Honoring God” section, I found myself filled with joy and praise at the greatness of God. The “Prayers to Say Thank You” section led me to a new level of gratitude for God’s goodness and mercy. Working through the “Prayers for Confessing Sin and Humbling Ourselves,” I felt a new sense of freedom and joy in forgiveness. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that this book is a wonderful tool to add to your toolbox when it comes to prayer. It’s practical and biblical, and it gives the reader a fresh new perspective on how to pray. I highly recommend it for those new in the faith all the way to the seasoned follower of Jesus. You can't go wrong praying God's Word back to Him, and this is an excellent resource to train you to do exactly that.

Get a copy of "Praying the Prayers of the Bible" from your local bookseller or through an online bookseller like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Family Christian Stores, Mardel, or LifeWay Christian Stores. You can also visit Discovery House Publishers at www.dhp.org.

Dr. James Banks loves to encourage people to pray. He is the author of several popular books, blogs and magazine articles on prayer, including "Prayers for Prodigals" and "The Lost Art of Praying Together." Dr. Banks has been a pastor and church planter over 25 years and lives with his wife Cari in Durham, North Carolina. They have two adult children. Connect with him at www.jamesbanks.org.

* Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for this review. However, the opinions expressed are my own.

[A.C. Cuddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” (Psalm 27:8) It can be hard to wrap our minds around the fact that the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of heaven and earth wants to talk with us. What can we tell Him that He doesn’t already know? The thought can leave us speechless. At other times, we’re speechless for other reasons—the sorrow is too much, the pain is too strong.

An amazing thing about our God is that He will never leave us trapped within ourselves, without words or hope. He’s given us His Word, which is full of prayers from His people. When we pray the prayers from God’s Word humbly and expectantly, we open our hearts and lives to deeper faith, renewed strength, fresh blessings, and God’s power to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.”

Praying the Prayers of the Bible by Dr. James Banks is a wonderful resource that will certainly enrich and enhance the personal prayer live of every believer. This book is perfectly laid out with each section composed of a short reflection, related scripture(s), prayers from the Bible to pray, and prayer starters.

Topics include Prayers to Say Thank You, Prayers to Strengthen Faith and Give Ourselves to God, Prayers about Everyday Needs, Prayers to Confess Sin and Humble Ourselves, Prayers for Guidance and Direction, Prayers for Help and Protection, Wrestling Prayers, and Blessing Prayers.

This is not a book that will not be read once and relegated to the shelf and forgotten. This is a resource book that you will want to keep handy, especially during those trying times when it seems that the words just won’t come. Especially helpful is the summary at the end of the book that is broken out by topic and gives detailed scripture references to help in your prayers. When the author states that this book is intended to help you make the prayers of the bible your own, he was right on. This book is a treasure. Thank you for the opportunity to read it. Pure Gold!

Visit the author’s website at: http://www.jamesbanks.org/

Disclosure: I received this book free via NetGalley. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa....

*Reviews of this book were posted at the following locations:
Amazon, Christian Book, Deeper Shopping, Goodreads, and to be featured on my blog at http://titus3.wordpress.com

[Lew Button]

Praying the Prayers of the Bible by James Banks Published by Discovery House
I was interested in this book because I am interested in prayer and because I believe the Bible should be our source for how to pray. I have done several messages on prayer based on the prayers in the Bible. I say that to emphasize my impression of this book does not reflect a negative view of prayer or prayers based on the Bible.
Although there were some things I liked and some passages I highlighted I just couldn’t get with this book. The first few chapters of the book made me think of a menu at a Chinese Restaurant. Please pick one item from column A and one item from column B. I don’t think prayer is meant to be choosing a phrase from one column like Prayer Starters and then adding a phrase from another column like Prayers for Strength or Prayers for Everyday needs.
I work with people who are facing the last days of their lives and are struggling with prayer. I would not hand them a list and tell them to pick a phrase under the respective topics and string them together to make a prayer. I quite often quote Psalm 5:1 Give ear to my words, O Lord. Consider my sighing.
Admittedly I may be bringing my own bias to the book but we all do. This is not my favorite book about prayer.
That being said when the author, James Banks, introduces a new section in the book he has some great insight that should inform our prayer. For example in the section Prayers to Confess Sin and Humble Ourselves he writes that his favorite title of Jesus is Friend of Sinners. That we pray to a one whi is our friend is significant.
In the section on Prayers for Guidance and Direction Dr. Banks reminds us that there are relatively few prayers in the Bible asking for God’s direction to know his will. Then he quotes Hadden Robinson on this topic before showing that many of the prayers for guidance in the Bible are of a general nature. For example “Send your light to guide me” Psalm 27:11
One of the positive aspects of this book is the number of quotes from other Christians on the topic of prayer. I especially like the quote by John Donne early on in the book. “A straw under my knee, a noise in my ear, a light in my eye, an anything, a nothing, a fancy…troubles me in my prayer.” Been there, experienced that.
Though this book is not on the top of my list of books about prayer I appreciated the quotes and insights about prayer.
I received a copy of this book for review from Netgalley.com with the understanding that I would give an honest review.

[christianchicklit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous Resource and Reference!
This is a wonderfully organized book that will become a real treasure to help you find the right thoughts and words for your prayer time. Dr. James Banks describes how even Jesus’ prayers included references to scriptures from the Old Testament. If Jesus prayed the prayers of the Bible, then this is a good format for us to consider. This book is organized into several different themes (e.g., Prayers to Praise and Honor God, Prayers to Strengthen Your Faith, Prayers To Confess Sin and Humble Ourselves, Prayers for Guidance and Direction, etc.) Each section begins with an overall reflection of the theme and then is followed by a series of scriptures pertaining to that theme. This helps to meditate on the promises of God from His word. These scriptures are followed by a series of Prayer Starters to “jump start your prayer” and also come directly from scriptures.

At the end of the book there is an additional summary of When To Pray These Prayers and specific scriptures listed for a variety of different topics (e.g., When You Want To Tell God You Love Him, When You Need Encouragement, When You Need Justice, When You Are In Trouble, etc.)

There is great value in just reading the Table of Contents of this book which is a summary of each of the specific scripture promises pertaining to each theme. This book is not only a great resource, but a great reference as well. This is a book that you won’t just read once but will reference over and over again. Because there is so much great information in this book, I think it would be more valuable to have a paper copy to flip through, mark up and compare scriptures rather than reading this as an e-book. This is sure to be a classic on your bookshelf for years to come.

I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from Discovery House Publishers and Net Galley in exchange for my fair and honest opinion of this book. I enjoyed it so much I will be buying a paper copy too!(less)

[Collene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really hated to finish this one because it was so full of God’s nuggets. The book is separated into themes, then it offers prayers from scripture related to the themes. It encourages you to pray just as if you are talking to God, which is exactly what you are doing. I highlighted important ones to me and then I’m going to look them up in my bible and highlight them there too. I also think I’ll copy some on note cards and stick them in my purse.

Another reason I love this book so much is that it addresses praise. I often feel like I don’t have the right words to say when I praise Him and this book gives examples and helps you get into the right spirit.

The copy that I read didn’t have a table of contents. It would make it so much more accessable if it had one.

Praying the Prayers of the Bible is one of the most encouraging Bible resources I have read. I highly recommend it. Love the cover, too.

This book was given to me by Discovery House Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

[Rhonda Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Praying the Prayers of the Bible is a wonderful resource to improve and enhance your daily prayer life. I really appreciate the layout of the book. Each section has a short reflection, related scripture, prayers from the Bible to pray, and prayer starters. Topics include Prayers to Say Thank You, Prayers to Strengthen Faith and Give Ourselves to God, Prayers about Everyday Needs, Prayers to Confess Sin and Humble Ourselves, Prayers for Guidance and Direction, Prayers for Help and Protection, Wrestling Prayers, and Blessing Prayers. I am enjoying using the prayers of the Bible that James Banks has researched and gleaned from the Bible for readers. Jesus himself prayed by quoting the scriptures and used the prayers of the Bible to commune with His Father. Jesus is our example and I appreciate the insights included in this book.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, Discovery House, in exchange for an honest review.

[Karen Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOTE: A COPY OF THIS ARC WAS GIVEN TO ME THROUGH NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

It is said that when you pray and use God's own word and pray it back to Him, those prayers will be that much more powerful. That is what the author has done with his book. He has written beautiful prayers using scripture. Each chapter deals with a specific type of prayer and also contains, what the author calls, "Prayer Starters" - little pieces of scripture that can be used to "jump start" a prayer because sometimes finding those first few words and getting started is the hardest thing to do.
This book will be a fantastic addition to my prayer bookshelf!

[IrenesBookReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very helpful book with easy to read and say prayers. I will be keeping this book handy as it covers a lot of areas with simple prayers to follow. This book would be helpful for a new Christian as it shows Biblical examples to follow. I gave this book 5/5 stars. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fresher prayer life or someone who is looking for a book about prayers in the Bible.

I would like to thank the publisher for the copy of this book I enjoyed reading. I gave an honest review based on my opinion of what I read.

[Shearon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Praying the Prayers of the Bible is a wonderful book to keep close as a companion to assist you in praying the Scriptures. It’s an awesome resource for any Christian who has ever struggled in their prayer life and has been seeking a breakthrough. You will find that this book will become a valuable resource to improve and enhance your prayer life. I really appreciated the layout of the book and how each section has a short reflection, related scripture, prayers from the Bible for you to pray through to strengthen our walk with the Lord.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

God has expressed His desire to talk with us throughout the Bible and as this book shows us He even provided us prayers to help. He never wants us to feel alone or hopeless. So when he gave us these prayers he is showing His love for us and He is helping us to open our hearts to Him and a stronger faith, and blessings.

This book is a wonderful resource to keep close at hand throughout life.

I was given this book by NetGalley and Discovery House Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

[Maria Elmvang · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great resource for people who want to be better at praying Scripture. It's not a book to read from A-Z, but a very useful reference to help find the prayers of the Bible suitable to the situation at hand.

As I definitely want to become better at praying Scripture, I see myself returning to this often.

[Leah T. Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great tool.