The people who pray with most power and most effect and most authenticity have their prayers

shot through with Bible.

They just pray Bible.

You ever had this experience, you sit down to pray, you intend to pray,

but your mind wanders and you just end up repeating yourself. That's when what Piper says here

proves really helpful. I'm Dan Kruver. In this episode of Light and Truth, John Piper turns to Psalm 1 to provide help for those of us who struggle to pray.

This message was originally delivered at Bethlehem Baptist Church on January 3, 1999.

Father, I come now with your people into your presence afresh where we have been lingering and ask for your help in this message.

I ask that you would give your people a heart to hear and understand and give to me an anointing to speak in sentences and with a demeanor that is worthy of this great scripture.

I thank you for your word and that you've not left us to ourselves.

And I ask that you would guard us now from Satan, who's the great scripture twister,

and that you would cause us to speak the truth and to hear the truth and to be moved in affections that are proportionate to the worth of the truth that we hear.

In Jesus' name, amen.

The first question you should be asking is, why does he choose a text like this to begin prayer week?

Because the text isn't about prayer.

It doesn't even have the word prayer in it.

In answer to that question, one would be to ask you what book of the Bible is this the first

chapter of?

So tell me, it's the first chapter of the book of and the Psalms historically has been known

as the prayer book of the church.

So really the question is, why does Psalm 1 begin the prayer book of the church?

It's not about prayer.

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