Praying Scripture for a Change

Each chapter of this study guide has three parts.

1) Each chapter opens with a story from the life of a particular saint, as an example of how they heard God speak to them in their meditation and prayer and allowed his Word to infuse their life and work. The saints personally experienced Scripture as the “living and abiding word of God” (Peter 1:23). It was a fresh spring from which they drank freely, allowing the Word to flow deep into their hearts and their lives, and finally out to the world around them, through their “Scripture-soaked” deeds. Each story is also an encouragement to each of us, inspiring us to allow God’s Word to be active in our own lives as well.

2) The central part of each chapter is a Study Questions section. These questions are meant to help the reader of Praying Scripture for a Change to think through the material in a deeper way. Along with various discussion questions to reinforce the book’s material, Scripture texts are provided to illustrate some of the reading strategies that Tim Gray outlines, as well as Scripture passages readers can use to practice lectio divina.

3) Each chapter closes with a Personal Reflection, followed by several questions and/or a prayer. The goal of any book on prayer is not just to present us with new information about prayer, but to help our prayer life grow more fruitful by giving us ways to apply what we have learned.