Prayer and Bible Study are the two things that bring us closer to God. Prayer brings us into His presence and Bible study teaches us about Him. They are both commanded for Christians to do as well.
If we aren’t prioritizing prayer and Bible study in our lives, we aren’t being obedient to God’s Word. These spiritual disciplines are essential in the lives of believers, and yet it can seem difficult to fit them into our busy schedules.
Here’s the thing about those busy schedules of ours: they only seem difficult and overwhelming because we’re prioritizing our life wrong. We should be scheduling our prayer and Bible study time first, and then work everything else in afterward.
As the eye of our mind should be intent upon God, so the affection of our heart ought to follow in the same course.
John Calvin
Prioritizing Prayer
The Bible records many prayers that were made to God, most importantly Jesus’ prayers, in order to give us a model for how to pray (Matthew 6:9-13). It also gives us specific information as to why we should pray all throughout the Old and New Testaments.
Prayer is an amazing privilege that Christians have been awarded. It’s not something that is owed to us or that we have to work for. We have the ability to pray to God because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross (John 14:6).
Prayer Tips:
- Prayer should come first before we make any decision.
- When something is wrong, prayer should be our first response, not our last resort.
- Prayer is for more than just asking for favors from God.
Prioritizing prayer means fitting our schedules around our prayer life, not the other way around. When we first wake up in the morning, instead of grabbing our phones, we should be grabbing onto God. When we have to make a decision, instead of relying on our own knowledge, we should pray for God’s wisdom.
We should be prioritizing time with God because our relationship with Him is the most important one in our lives. Entering into His presence, praising Him, and thanking Him are some of the most beneficial ways to spend our time (much more beneficial than watching TV) even if we don’t know what to say.
Prayer has a vital place in the life of a Christian. One might pray and not be a Christian, but one cannot be a Christian and not pray.
R.C. Sproul
Prioritizing Bible Study
Many times throughout the Bible, we are told to keep God’s Word in our hearts, to meditate on the scriptures, and to rightly handle the Word of truth. But so often, we forget to read our Bibles because our “schedules are too busy” or “we don’t have time”.
These excuses make us feel better at the moment, but the guilt remains because we know we aren’t being obedient. Whether you attend a group Bible study or spend time in the scriptures by yourself, scheduling these needs to come before any extra activities in our lives.
Bible Study Tips:
- Set a specific time every day to study.
- Have a plan for your Bible study time (verse-by-verse study, topical study, workbook, etc).
- Eliminate distractions while you’re studying.
There may be other reasons holding you back from reading the Bible, like not knowing where to start or not having the right translation. Look at these previous posts for Bible Reading Habits, Understanding Scripture, Ways to Study the Bible, and Choosing the Best Bible Version for You.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17
The Role of the Holy Spirit
The role of the Holy Spirit in our prayer life and Bible studies cannot be overstated. The only way we, as Christians, are able to pray or study the Bible effectively is with the help of the Holy Spirit.
In John 14:26, Jesus says, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
Prayer can be hard when we can’t put into words what we want to express to God. However, Romans 8:26-38 says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Additionally, the only way Christians are able to understand God’s Word is through the help of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
Sinclair Ferguson put it simply when he said, “He (the Holy Spirit) enlightens our minds to enable us to know, see, grasp, and apply the will and purposes of God.”
We should continually seek the help of the Holy Spirit in our prayer life and Bible studies.
“The Scriptures reveal the mind of God Himself through the agency of the Holy Spirit, who is called the Spirit of truth.”
R.C. Sproul
Let us prioritize our spiritual disciplines that draw us closer to God and help us live a life obedient to His commands.
Dawn Zauner 
it really does.
Absolutely! We don’t realize how much we need it until we have it. It’s like we didn’t know what we were missing at first but once we get into His presence through prayer and study, it transforms us.
I used to get up early every morning and write. I didn’t pray much, and I was MISERABLE. Depressed. Then Jesus led me more securely into His arms. Now my firstfruits of the day are given to the Liturgy of the Hours (liturgical Catholic prayer with the psalms), the Rosary, and then Scripture meditation. It’s astounding how I’ve learned that I NEED THAT every day to let God speak to me in order to keep trying to put Him first and serve Him well.