Most of us have likely discovered that screen usage is decreasing our attention span. These days, we have more trouble focusing while reading, holding conversations, waiting in line, and even watching movies with complicated plots. The increasing focus deficit can make prayer—a discipline that can already feel challenging—seem even harder. We’re not good at sitting still, clearing distractions, and doing nothing but talking to the Lord. Even though I’ve been following Jesus for most of my life, I’ve found it difficult to still my heart for focused prayer, and even more so since adopting regular scrolling habits in recent years. While my overall goal to increase focus in prayer includes reducing or eliminating things that have been proven to shorten my attention span, God has already provided His Word as a gift for the unfocused mind.
When I can’t seem to stop chasing my thoughts while trying to pray, I’ve found it helpful to open my Bible and pray Scripture instead. There is an almost immediate sharpening of my focus in prayer when I speak God’s Word back to Him. The psalms are particularly helpful here.
How do we pray Scripture without taking it out of context?
It’s helpful to have regular Bible study habits that root you in the overall redemptive narrative, understanding that Scripture wasn’t written to you but rather for you. That distinction can help you refrain from claiming promises that were meant for specific people at specific points in redemptive history. Filtering your understanding of a passage through the lens of what you learn about God, man, and Christ before moving to application is also a helpful safety net that will keep you out of the heresy zone.
That said, God gave us Psalms so that we could learn the language of prayer. When you don’t know what to pray or can’t get your thoughts to be still enough for prayer, borrow the words of Scripture to set things straight. What I like to do is take the psalm based upon the day of the month. If you want to do this daily, you’ll have to do the math after day 31. (For instance, if you started praying through Psalms on March 1st, then by April 6th, you’ll be on Psalm 37. By the time you get to May 1st, you’d be on Psalm 62, and so forth until you finish all 150 psalms.)
As an example, let’s take a look at Psalm 30 and then look at how you might pray through it.
1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name
5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime
Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O Lord, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed.
8 To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
9 “What profit is there in my death if I go down to the pit
Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!”
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
This psalm was written by David as a song of dedication at the temple, inviting the people of God to worship and praise Him for what He has done in hearing David’s prayer and rescuing him from his enemies. Psalm 30 extols the Lord for taking truly fearful and grievous circumstances and turning them into occasions for joy.
When I prayed through this psalm, it went something like this.
I will praise you, Lord for You have given me victory over sin, Satan, and death through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
I cried out to You for help, and You heard my prayer and saved me.
You rescued me from an eternity in hell—You have saved me from what I deserve!
I’ll sing praises and encourage other saints to do likewise. Thank You, Lord, for saving me!
I was an object of wrath, but You have shown me Your favor in Christ, and I will enjoy it forever in the new creation. This life is a vapor and though I may suffer in it, You are my joy. You bring joy, and I will live in that joy now and forever. Help me to endure for the joy that You have promised is coming.
When my sin has been a problem, when it seems like You were far, I cried out to You. I pled for mercy then and I plead for it now. I know You hear me.
Oh Lord, the hard things in my life could prevent me from praising You, but what profit is it if I stop praising You? Will the dust cry out? Will the earth beneath me tell of Your faithfulness? As long as I have breath, let me praise You, Lord! This is the reason I live!
Lord, hear me! You are my helper! Help me!
You have taken my sorrows and turned them into joy. Only You can work all things together for good like that. You have removed my mourning clothes and dressed me in Jesus’ robes of righteousness. I am glad!
And so, I will sing of Your praise! I won’t be silent, I won’t hold back, I won’t let fear of man rob me of praise. You are my God, and I will give thanks to You forever!
When I pray Scripture, I summarize the content, incorporate gospel truths, and personalize the pronouns. To compare and contrast Psalm 30 with my prayer of it, take a look below.
Psalm 30: 1-3
“I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.”
How I prayed Psalm 30:1-3
I will praise you, Lord for you have given me victory over sin, Satan, and death through the death and resurrection of Jesus. I cried out to you for help, and you heard my prayer and saved me. You rescued me from an eternity in hell—you have saved me from what I deserve!
What I’ve found to be so helpful in praying the psalms is that I know I’m praying according to what the Lord would want for me rather than what I want for me, and that serves as a springboard for the rest of my prayer time. Praying along the lines of Scripture resets my train of thought and forces me to bend my desires to His. My prayers are much different when yielded to Scripture, and thankfully so! Praying Scripture also helps me focus—to keep my mind still and fixed on prayer. I am better able to pray without lots of mental interruptions if I start by praying Scripture.
Whether or not you have trouble focusing in prayer, it’s a good practice to pray the Lord’s words back to Him—not because He needs to be reminded of what He has said but because we do.
Whether or not you have trouble focusing in prayer, it's a good practice to pray the Lord’s words back to Him—not because He needs to be reminded of what He has said but because we do. Share on X
For more resources on praying Scripture, check out Prayer by Tim Keller and Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Glenna Marshall is married to her pastor, William, and is the mother of two sons. She and her husband serve at Grace Bible Fellowship in Sikeston, Missouri where they have served for over twenty years. She is the author of The Promise is His Presence, Everyday Faithfulness, Memorizing Scripture, and Known & Loved. Connect with her on Instagram and Facebook, or sign up for her monthly newsletter.
