What to Pray Before Reading the Bible (Simple Prayers That Open Your Heart)

Before you read the Bible, pray a short prayer that asks God to open your heart, quiet distractions, and help you understand and apply what you're about to read. A simple, honest prayer of two or three sentences is enough — you don't need fancy words to set the right posture.

Why pray before opening your Bible

Reading scripture without prayer is a little like sitting down to a meal you never bothered to taste. The words go in, but they don't nourish much. Prayer shifts you from reading the Bible as information to reading it as someone listening for God's voice.

It also slows you down. Most of us open our Bible app already half-distracted — thinking about email, the kids, the to-do list. A 20-second prayer creates a small mental boundary between everything else and the next chapter you're about to read. That tiny pause is doing more spiritual work than you might think.

You're also asking for help. The Bible is not a book that yields its full meaning to clever readers. Paul wrote that "the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:14). Prayer is admitting up front that you need the Author to walk through the text with you.

Short prayers you can actually use

Here are a few prayers people often pray before reading. Pick one, or borrow phrases and make your own.

The classic Psalm 119:18 prayer: "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law." It's one verse, drawn straight from scripture, and you can pray it in five seconds.

A prayer for understanding: "Father, help me see what's actually here, not just what I expect to see. Show me what you want me to notice today."

A prayer for application: "Lord, don't let me just read this. Let it change how I live today — at work, with my family, in my own heart."

A prayer for a distracted mind: "God, my brain is somewhere else. Quiet me. Bring me back here. Help me listen."

A confession-first prayer: "Before I read, search me. If there's anything I'm holding onto that's keeping me from hearing you, show me." This one is especially helpful when scripture has felt dry for a while.

You don't need all five. One is plenty. The goal is intentionality, not length.

How to build prayer into your reading habit

The easiest way to make this stick is to attach it to something you already do. If you read the Bible through an app like Bible In A Year, pray your short prayer the moment the chapter loads — before your eyes start scanning. If you read a physical Bible, pray with your hand on the page before you turn it.

After reading, pray briefly again. Thank God for one specific thing you noticed, and ask Him to bring it back to mind during the day. This "bookend" structure — pray, read, pray — takes maybe two extra minutes total and transforms a reading habit into a meeting.

If you forget, don't restart the day or feel guilty. Just pray now and keep going. Consistency over weeks matters more than perfection on any given morning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to pray out loud before reading the Bible?

No. Silent prayer counts. God hears the prayer of your heart just as clearly as words on your lips, and many people find silent prayer easier to focus with when they're alone.

What if I don't know what to pray?

Pray Psalm 119:18 — "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law." It's already scripture, it fits any reading, and it never gets stale.

Should I pray after reading too?

Yes, even briefly. A 30-second prayer thanking God for something specific you noticed, or asking Him to help you live it out, locks the passage into your day and turns reading into a real conversation.