revelation prayer (bookmark)

Below is the prayer printed on the bookmark contained in the Eat This Book study.  It should be prayed each time we open the Scriptures. I keep it in my Bible at the spot where I will begin reading each day. . .

Dear Lord.

Thank you for this day.

Thank you for 

your goodness and kindness

toward me.

As I open the pages 

of your Words to me, 

I ask that you 

speak to me.

Open my eyes to see.

Open my ears to hear.

Give understanding to my mind.

Fill my heart with your love.

Fill my soul with your peace.

Reveal to me what you would have me

know and understand from

this Logos. . .this Living Word. . .

this day.

I will accept, embrace, and obey

your Word.

I give you praise

and thanksgiving

for allowing me

such intimate communion 

with you.

AMEN.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

revelation prayer (bookmark)

Below is the prayer printed on the bookmark contained in the Eat This Book study.  It should be prayed each time we open the Scriptures. I keep it in my Bible at the spot where I will begin reading each day. . .

Dear Lord.

Thank you for this day.

Thank you for 

your goodness and kindness

toward me.

As I open the pages 

of your Words to me, 

I ask that you 

speak to me.

Open my eyes to see.

Open my ears to hear.

Give understanding to my mind.

Fill my heart with your love.

Fill my soul with your peace.

Reveal to me what you would have me

know and understand from

this Logos. . .this Living Word. . .

this day.

I will accept, embrace, and obey

your Word.

I give you praise

and thanksgiving

for allowing me

such intimate communion 

with you.

AMEN.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

psalm 119:5

5 - O that my ways were directed 

to keep thy statues.

Directed comes from a Hebrew word meaning to make firm, to establish, to prepare.

Charles Spurgeon talked about this verse in this way:  "Divine commands should direct us in the subject of our prayers. We cannot of ourselves keep God's statutes as he would have them kept, and yet we long to do so: what resort have we but prayer? We must ask the Lord to work our works in us, or we shall never work out his commandments. This verse is a sigh of regret because the Psalmist feels that he has not kept the precepts diligently, it is a cry of weakness appealing for help to one who can aid, it is a request of bewilderment from one who has lost his way and would fain be directed in it, and it is a petition of faith from one who loves God and trusts in him for grace."

Our human nature must be placed on the altar and killed anew every single morning. We must then stay there in prayer until He has regenerated us into His will--His plan--His creature for the day.

Paul said, "I die daily." (1 Cor 15:31) So must we.

We cannot die to ourselves praying our own selfish prayers. We must pray the Word--His Words--His commands--His will.

Then we will be firm and established and it becomes humanly possible to live life God's way.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

psalm 119:5

5 - O that my ways were directed 

to keep thy statues.

Directed comes from a Hebrew word meaning to make firm, to establish, to prepare.

Charles Spurgeon talked about this verse in this way:  "Divine commands should direct us in the subject of our prayers. We cannot of ourselves keep God's statutes as he would have them kept, and yet we long to do so: what resort have we but prayer? We must ask the Lord to work our works in us, or we shall never work out his commandments. This verse is a sigh of regret because the Psalmist feels that he has not kept the precepts diligently, it is a cry of weakness appealing for help to one who can aid, it is a request of bewilderment from one who has lost his way and would fain be directed in it, and it is a petition of faith from one who loves God and trusts in him for grace."

Our human nature must be placed on the altar and killed anew every single morning. We must then stay there in prayer until He has regenerated us into His will--His plan--His creature for the day.

Paul said, "I die daily." (1 Cor 15:31) So must we.

We cannot die to ourselves praying our own selfish prayers. We must pray the Word--His Words--His commands--His will.

Then we will be firm and established and it becomes humanly possible to live life God's way.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

psalm 119:4

4 - "Thou has commanded us to 

keep thy precepts diligently."

Diligently is translated from a Hebrew word meaning "force, a very great degree."

It sort of takes the concept of "we don't have to do anything to live this Christian life and get to heaven except love the Lord" and throws it right out the window, doesn't it!

Force. A very great degree.

God, you have commanded me to keep your precepts--your law, your Word, your commandments--to a very great degree. I must use force in keeping them. There are no short cuts, no loopholes, no exception clauses. 

It's pretty cut and dried. If you said it, then the ball is in my court and I must do it.

I like how Martin Luther said it: "You may as well quit reading and hearing the Word of God, and give it to the devil, if you do not desire to live according to it." 

Well, there you go.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

psalm 119:4

4 - "Thou has commanded us to 

keep thy precepts diligently."

Diligently is translated from a Hebrew word meaning "force, a very great degree."

It sort of takes the concept of "we don't have to do anything to live this Christian life and get to heaven except love the Lord" and throws it right out the window, doesn't it!

Force. A very great degree.

God, you have commanded me to keep your precepts--your law, your Word, your commandments--to a very great degree. I must use force in keeping them. There are no short cuts, no loopholes, no exception clauses. 

It's pretty cut and dried. If you said it, then the ball is in my court and I must do it.

I like how Martin Luther said it: "You may as well quit reading and hearing the Word of God, and give it to the devil, if you do not desire to live according to it." 

Well, there you go.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

coffee bath

On Monday, January 16, I offered my computer a cup a coffee. It received it gladly. Although I tried to take back my offer, unfortunately, the damage had been done and my computer went the way of the coffee grounds.

Since I find it challenging to blog on the iPad, the blog posts have slowed down. We will be back up and running as soon as the new computer arrives and is set up.

And we will not offer the new one any coffee. Ever.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

coffee bath

On Monday, January 16, I offered my computer a cup a coffee. It received it gladly. Although I tried to take back my offer, unfortunately, the damage had been done and my computer went the way of the coffee grounds.

Since I find it challenging to blog on the iPad, the blog posts have slowed down. We will be back up and running as soon as the new computer arrives and is set up.

And we will not offer the new one any coffee. Ever.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

ask us

Until we have time to work out a better way, you may ask any questions regarding Eat This Book here.

Leave your question in the Comment box below and we will attempt to answer it at adoon as possible.

Thank you for your interest in Eat This Book!

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

ask us

Until we have time to work out a better way, you may ask any questions regarding Eat This Book here.

Leave your question in the Comment box below and we will attempt to answer it at adoon as possible.

Thank you for your interest in Eat This Book!

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

was he hiding behind the door?

My friend, Pam, forwarded this to me this morning. It is from Mark Batterson's 21-day Prayer Challenge based on his book about prayer, The Circle Maker.

I think he has been hiding behind my door, because these are the exact words I have been using to expound on the relationship between prayer and the Word!

Soak this in:

     The Bible wasn't meant to be read. It was meant to be prayed. Reading without praying is like eating without digesting. The nutrients aren't absorbed the way they should be. The way you get the word into your heart, into your spirit is by praying it. Let me give you an example. This morning I was reading about "the circumcision of the heart" in Romans 2:29. The Holy Spirit stopped me in my tracks. I knew I needed to stop reading and start praying. I spent the next several minutes having a heart-to-heart with my Heavenly Father about some of my heart issues.


     The spiritual disciplines are more interrelated than what we realize.  I used to think of reading Scripture and prayer as very different endeavors. In fact, I felt bad because it was easier for me to read Scripture than to pray. Then I read something from the Talmud that set me free. The Jewish Rabbis said, "An hour of study is as an hour of prayer." That's when I realized that reading Scripture can be a form of prayer, a part of prayer.  Many people don't know where to begin when it comes to prayer.  What do I say first? Here's my advice: start with Scripture. Start reading and you'll eventually come to something you need to talk with God about. Prayer isn't a monologue where we outline our agenda for God. Prayer is a dialogue. Scripture is the way God speaks to us. Prayer is a way we respond to it. And when you pray the word you can pray with holy confidence because God's word does not return void.


     Pray the Word!

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

was he hiding behind the door?

My friend, Pam, forwarded this to me this morning. It is from Mark Batterson's 21-day Prayer Challenge based on his book about prayer, The Circle Maker.

I think he has been hiding behind my door, because these are the exact words I have been using to expound on the relationship between prayer and the Word!

Soak this in:

     The Bible wasn't meant to be read. It was meant to be prayed. Reading without praying is like eating without digesting. The nutrients aren't absorbed the way they should be. The way you get the word into your heart, into your spirit is by praying it. Let me give you an example. This morning I was reading about "the circumcision of the heart" in Romans 2:29. The Holy Spirit stopped me in my tracks. I knew I needed to stop reading and start praying. I spent the next several minutes having a heart-to-heart with my Heavenly Father about some of my heart issues.


     The spiritual disciplines are more interrelated than what we realize.  I used to think of reading Scripture and prayer as very different endeavors. In fact, I felt bad because it was easier for me to read Scripture than to pray. Then I read something from the Talmud that set me free. The Jewish Rabbis said, "An hour of study is as an hour of prayer." That's when I realized that reading Scripture can be a form of prayer, a part of prayer.  Many people don't know where to begin when it comes to prayer.  What do I say first? Here's my advice: start with Scripture. Start reading and you'll eventually come to something you need to talk with God about. Prayer isn't a monologue where we outline our agenda for God. Prayer is a dialogue. Scripture is the way God speaks to us. Prayer is a way we respond to it. And when you pray the word you can pray with holy confidence because God's word does not return void.


     Pray the Word!

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

psalm 119:3

3 - They also do no iniquity: 

they walk in his ways.

Verse 3 is still speaking of the man who would be called "blessed" -- the one who seeks to be happy. They will do no iniquity because they walk in the ways of the God of the universe.

Consider what Spurgeon had to say about this: "It is not enough to them to be blameless, they wish also to be actively righteous."

As a Christ follower, I have no right to escape into isolation in order to live a holy, blameless life--one without iniquity. If I am to be blessed, I must live an actively righteous life, purposely walking in the path God illuminates through His Word.

Just abstaining from wrong is not enough. We must also be proactive in doing good.

"Lord, I thank thee that I am not as the publican" is not enough.

We must pray, "Thy kingdom come." In me. In my house. In my life. In every action. In every step.

Jesus clearly illustrated this with the parable of the good Samaritan. It is not enough that I was not the one who beat the traveler and left him for dead on the side of the road. When I pass the beaten man on the road with my eyes averted, not wanting to "get involved," with no time to do the will of my Father, I am involved in iniquity.

"Walking in his ways" means that I will become the incarnation of the Living Word and take action. I will bind the wounds and seek help for the traveler.

Blessedness--happiness--cannot come just because I remain spotless on the other side of the road.

Blessedness--happiness--comes when I become actively involved in living out the Word.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

psalm 119:3

3 - They also do no iniquity: 

they walk in his ways.

Verse 3 is still speaking of the man who would be called "blessed" -- the one who seeks to be happy. They will do no iniquity because they walk in the ways of the God of the universe.

Consider what Spurgeon had to say about this: "It is not enough to them to be blameless, they wish also to be actively righteous."

As a Christ follower, I have no right to escape into isolation in order to live a holy, blameless life--one without iniquity. If I am to be blessed, I must live an actively righteous life, purposely walking in the path God illuminates through His Word.

Just abstaining from wrong is not enough. We must also be proactive in doing good.

"Lord, I thank thee that I am not as the publican" is not enough.

We must pray, "Thy kingdom come." In me. In my house. In my life. In every action. In every step.

Jesus clearly illustrated this with the parable of the good Samaritan. It is not enough that I was not the one who beat the traveler and left him for dead on the side of the road. When I pass the beaten man on the road with my eyes averted, not wanting to "get involved," with no time to do the will of my Father, I am involved in iniquity.

"Walking in his ways" means that I will become the incarnation of the Living Word and take action. I will bind the wounds and seek help for the traveler.

Blessedness--happiness--cannot come just because I remain spotless on the other side of the road.

Blessedness--happiness--comes when I become actively involved in living out the Word.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

psalm 119:2

2 - Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, 

and that seek him with the whole heart.

So, you really want to be happy. Good. Verse one told you how to be happy. You mean you're really serious about being happy? You want more? Well, great. Because there is definitely more.

Blessed (happy) are they that keep (guard, preserves, guard from danger)

 his testimonies (precepts-always plural and always speaking of the divine), 

and that seek (to beat, to tread, to trample with the feet, to thresh, 

[fig] to learn, to study) 

him with the whole heart (inner man, mind, will, understanding).

It is not enough to just obey, one must love. 

It is not enough to follow, one must possess.

It is not enough to say, one must be.

It is not enough to go through the motions, one must own.

I cannot just walk in the law (v. 1), I must keep and seek with my whole heart.  

I must internalize His Word. I must guard His Word. I must preserve every jot and tittle of His Word that I have in my possession. I cannot allow the enemy to steal even a nuance from what has been breathed by God. 

It must become me. I must become it. It must so consume my being that there is no way to separate who I am from who He is and what His Word is. 

The word "keep" has unfathomable depths to which I must plunge. And that's only the first half of the verse!

I must then "seek!" It is understood that the meaning of seek implies to study. But it is derived from a word which means to thresh about, to beat, to trample with the feet. In other words, I can't just read and expect that my seeking will be satisfied. 

I must dig, I must fight to understand, I must enquire, I must not stop before I have an answer, I must do all that is in the power of my intellect and my physical strength to make His Words part of the deepest area of my heart and soul.

The good news is that I do not have to wait until I have reached my goal in order to be happy. 

The good news is that the happiness comes with the actions in progress.

Happiness comes at the beginning of the journey into His beautiful Word, not at the end! It is available to all who will.

You are invited...

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

psalm 119:2

2 - Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, 

and that seek him with the whole heart.

So, you really want to be happy. Good. Verse one told you how to be happy. You mean you're really serious about being happy? You want more? Well, great. Because there is definitely more.

Blessed (happy) are they that keep (guard, preserves, guard from danger)

 his testimonies (precepts-always plural and always speaking of the divine), 

and that seek (to beat, to tread, to trample with the feet, to thresh, 

[fig] to learn, to study) 

him with the whole heart (inner man, mind, will, understanding).

It is not enough to just obey, one must love. 

It is not enough to follow, one must possess.

It is not enough to say, one must be.

It is not enough to go through the motions, one must own.

I cannot just walk in the law (v. 1), I must keep and seek with my whole heart.  

I must internalize His Word. I must guard His Word. I must preserve every jot and tittle of His Word that I have in my possession. I cannot allow the enemy to steal even a nuance from what has been breathed by God. 

It must become me. I must become it. It must so consume my being that there is no way to separate who I am from who He is and what His Word is. 

The word "keep" has unfathomable depths to which I must plunge. And that's only the first half of the verse!

I must then "seek!" It is understood that the meaning of seek implies to study. But it is derived from a word which means to thresh about, to beat, to trample with the feet. In other words, I can't just read and expect that my seeking will be satisfied. 

I must dig, I must fight to understand, I must enquire, I must not stop before I have an answer, I must do all that is in the power of my intellect and my physical strength to make His Words part of the deepest area of my heart and soul.

The good news is that I do not have to wait until I have reached my goal in order to be happy. 

The good news is that the happiness comes with the actions in progress.

Happiness comes at the beginning of the journey into His beautiful Word, not at the end! It is available to all who will.

You are invited...

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

psalm 119:1

1 - Blessed are the undefiled in the way, 

who walk in the law of the LORD.

What a wonderful promise we have! What a glorious opportunity is provided to us! 

Everyone is looking for happiness. It is a quest as old as time. From the beginning, man has sought to be happy. Some look for it in money, some look for it in power, some look for it in relationships. But the desire is innate--it is born in us--to continually search for happiness. 

And the Psalmist has given us the key.

The words in parentheses below give a broader meaning of the original Hebrew word from which they were transcribed:

Blessed (happy) are the undefiled (without blemish, perfect) 

in the way (journey, manner, habit, course of life), 

who walk (conduct, manner of life)  

in the law (direction, instruction, manner) of the LORD.

If we want to be happy, we will attempt to conduct ourselves in every area of our lives according to the instructions of the Lord.

It's as simple as that.

In order to do that, we must know the instructions of the Lord. 

And, in order to know the instructions of the Lord, we must continually internalize those instructions every day of our lives. We must ingest them as regularly as we eat food. 

The Bible is so much more than an instruction book, but we must never forget that our relationship with it does include instructions. 

Perhaps the one word which could cause us to pause in this verse would be the word "undefiled." It's meaning includes "without blemish, perfect, blameless." Who among us is perfect? We are quick to answer that nobody is perfect. After all, Romans 3:10 says ". . .there is none righteous, no not one." However, we are not let off the hook quite so easily. 

I think Charles Spurgeon addressed this best when he said, "By nature we are defiled and out of the way, and we must therefore have been washed in the atoning blood to remove defilement, and we must have been converted by the power of the Holy Ghost, or we should not have been turned into the way of peace, nor be undefiled in it. Nor is this all; for the continual power of grace is needed to keep a believer in the right way, and to preserve him from pollution. All the blessings of the covenant must have been in a measure poured, upon those who from day to day have been enabled to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. Their way is the evidence of their being the blessed of the Lord."

We are by nature unrighteous, but we are cleansed daily as we strive for perfection in our walk with God. It is a daily thing. It must be done with consistency and regularity and can only be achieved by conducting ourselves according to the laws of God. 

So, you want to be happy? Then wash yourself with the Word. Eat the Word. Walk in the Word. Let it saturate you within and clothe you without.

Happiness is found in the law of the Lord.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

psalm 119:1

1 - Blessed are the undefiled in the way, 

who walk in the law of the LORD.

What a wonderful promise we have! What a glorious opportunity is provided to us! 

Everyone is looking for happiness. It is a quest as old as time. From the beginning, man has sought to be happy. Some look for it in money, some look for it in power, some look for it in relationships. But the desire is innate--it is born in us--to continually search for happiness. 

And the Psalmist has given us the key.

The words in parentheses below give a broader meaning of the original Hebrew word from which they were transcribed:

Blessed (happy) are the undefiled (without blemish, perfect) 

in the way (journey, manner, habit, course of life), 

who walk (conduct, manner of life)  

in the law (direction, instruction, manner) of the LORD.

If we want to be happy, we will attempt to conduct ourselves in every area of our lives according to the instructions of the Lord.

It's as simple as that.

In order to do that, we must know the instructions of the Lord. 

And, in order to know the instructions of the Lord, we must continually internalize those instructions every day of our lives. We must ingest them as regularly as we eat food. 

The Bible is so much more than an instruction book, but we must never forget that our relationship with it does include instructions. 

Perhaps the one word which could cause us to pause in this verse would be the word "undefiled." It's meaning includes "without blemish, perfect, blameless." Who among us is perfect? We are quick to answer that nobody is perfect. After all, Romans 3:10 says ". . .there is none righteous, no not one." However, we are not let off the hook quite so easily. 

I think Charles Spurgeon addressed this best when he said, "By nature we are defiled and out of the way, and we must therefore have been washed in the atoning blood to remove defilement, and we must have been converted by the power of the Holy Ghost, or we should not have been turned into the way of peace, nor be undefiled in it. Nor is this all; for the continual power of grace is needed to keep a believer in the right way, and to preserve him from pollution. All the blessings of the covenant must have been in a measure poured, upon those who from day to day have been enabled to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. Their way is the evidence of their being the blessed of the Lord."

We are by nature unrighteous, but we are cleansed daily as we strive for perfection in our walk with God. It is a daily thing. It must be done with consistency and regularity and can only be achieved by conducting ourselves according to the laws of God. 

So, you want to be happy? Then wash yourself with the Word. Eat the Word. Walk in the Word. Let it saturate you within and clothe you without.

Happiness is found in the law of the Lord.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

psalm 119-the journey

I remember as a little girl when we would have contests in Sunday School and part of it would be to get points for chapters we read in the Bible that week. As a girl still learning to read, I didn't exactly spend time every day reading the Bible. However, I was very competitive and would get up and hurry on Sunday mornings so I would have time to read as many chapters as I could before we got to church.

I ALWAYS read Psalm 117. That's a no-brainer. That's the shortest chapter in the Bible. As a matter of fact, I think every kid in class always listed Psalm 117 as a chapter they had read that week. By the time I was 10 years old, I was quoting it as I looked for another chapter and could count TWO chapters.

In all of my years of Sunday School competition, I don't think I ever remember anybody saying they read Psalm 119. We would take one look at it and shudder and hurry to something shorter.

It wasn't until I was grown and digging deeper for the treasures of the Word that I understood Psalm 119 and began to fall in love with its grandeur.

There is not enough blog space available to expound upon its beauty, its depth, its vastness, its richness.  And so once again, at this new beginning of 2012, I find myself returning to this incredible passage of the Bible. I am taking it one verse per day and mining it for everything I can.

You are welcome to join this journey. And, if you do, I would request that you feel free to share any insight or nuggets regarding the passages as we walk through them.

What a privilege it is to study the Voice of God bound in a Book.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

psalm 119-the journey

I remember as a little girl when we would have contests in Sunday School and part of it would be to get points for chapters we read in the Bible that week. As a girl still learning to read, I didn't exactly spend time every day reading the Bible. However, I was very competitive and would get up and hurry on Sunday mornings so I would have time to read as many chapters as I could before we got to church.

I ALWAYS read Psalm 117. That's a no-brainer. That's the shortest chapter in the Bible. As a matter of fact, I think every kid in class always listed Psalm 117 as a chapter they had read that week. By the time I was 10 years old, I was quoting it as I looked for another chapter and could count TWO chapters.

In all of my years of Sunday School competition, I don't think I ever remember anybody saying they read Psalm 119. We would take one look at it and shudder and hurry to something shorter.

It wasn't until I was grown and digging deeper for the treasures of the Word that I understood Psalm 119 and began to fall in love with its grandeur.

There is not enough blog space available to expound upon its beauty, its depth, its vastness, its richness.  And so once again, at this new beginning of 2012, I find myself returning to this incredible passage of the Bible. I am taking it one verse per day and mining it for everything I can.

You are welcome to join this journey. And, if you do, I would request that you feel free to share any insight or nuggets regarding the passages as we walk through them.

What a privilege it is to study the Voice of God bound in a Book.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

take the challenge!

If you only make ONE New Year's Resolution in 2012, let it be this: that you will read the Bible every single day of this year.

Every single day.

Without exception.

However much or however little you feel you can.

But every single day.

Are you in?

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

take the challenge!

If you only make ONE New Year's Resolution in 2012, let it be this: that you will read the Bible every single day of this year.

Every single day.

Without exception.

However much or however little you feel you can.

But every single day.

Are you in?

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

Prayer = Bible = Prayer = Bible

LOVE this....it was sent to me by a friend and I have lost the source...I apologize.  But read it and ponder.

The Bible is a prayerbook.

You don't read it statically. You read it proactively. As you read, the same Holy Spirit who inspired the writers illuminates the readers. How awesome is that? The Holy Spirit quickens the Word and something gets in our spirits. I'm convinced that the Bible is the means to just about every spiritual end. I promise you this: if you are reading the Bible, God will convict you of sin that you need to confess. So in that regard, the Bible is the key to purity. You will also find plenty of promises to claim. The Bible sanctifies our expectations so we have more confidence after we read the Word. In that regard, the Bible is the key to faith. And, of course, it's the key to so many other things. What I'm getting at is this: prayer is a byproduct of Scripture. It is the way God talks to us. Then prayer turns the monologue into a dialogue.

My point? I'm not worried about your prayer life if you're reading the Bible. I think the quality of your prayer life will be directly proportional to the quality and quantity of Scripture you're reading.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock

Prayer = Bible = Prayer = Bible

LOVE this....it was sent to me by a friend and I have lost the source...I apologize.  But read it and ponder.

The Bible is a prayerbook.

You don't read it statically. You read it proactively. As you read, the same Holy Spirit who inspired the writers illuminates the readers. How awesome is that? The Holy Spirit quickens the Word and something gets in our spirits. I'm convinced that the Bible is the means to just about every spiritual end. I promise you this: if you are reading the Bible, God will convict you of sin that you need to confess. So in that regard, the Bible is the key to purity. You will also find plenty of promises to claim. The Bible sanctifies our expectations so we have more confidence after we read the Word. In that regard, the Bible is the key to faith. And, of course, it's the key to so many other things. What I'm getting at is this: prayer is a byproduct of Scripture. It is the way God talks to us. Then prayer turns the monologue into a dialogue.

My point? I'm not worried about your prayer life if you're reading the Bible. I think the quality of your prayer life will be directly proportional to the quality and quantity of Scripture you're reading.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock