Take a portion of Scripture and have the first person read one verse aloud and then pray about what the verse prompts him/her to pray about. Then the second person reads the next verse aloud and prays about what that verse prompts him/her to pray about.

You can go back and forth reading verses for as long as you want to pray, but these prayers are usually fairly short. Try to stay with the theme of each verse during this kind of prayer. When you are finished, you can bring your other requests that don’t relate to the verses you have read.

Also, be aware that you may each have to read more than one verse at a time to complete the sentence or point being made.

A good way to look at this kind of prayer is to consider the reading of the verse as God speaking to you; view Him as a third party in the group. “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20

Psalms and Proverbs are good Scriptures to use if you choose to pray this way. There are other portions of the Bible that are also effective.

These passages in Psalms and Proverbs work particularly well for this prayer variation:

Psalms 4, 5, 6, 16, 18, 23, 25, 27, 100, 103 and 119.

Proverbs 2, 3:1-12, 6:16-24, 11:1-20, 15:1-33 and 16:1-20.

There are many passages in the New Testament that you can use such as:

Romans 6:11-23 and 8:5-13

Galatians 5:16-26

Ephesians 4:17-31

Philippians 4:4-19

Hebrews 4:9-16

Sample Prayer

Person 1 reads Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Person 1 prays: ‘Thank you, Lord, for the advice You give about how to use knowledge. Keep me alert so that I don’t fall into the trap of a fool.

Person 2 reads Proverbs 1:8 “My son, hear the instruction of your father, and forsake not the law of you mother;“  Person 2 prays: ‘Thank you, Father, for the disciplines of life that You have taught (and are teaching) me through my parents. Please lead me as I strive to be a Godly example for my children and grandchildren.

Person 1 reads Proverbs 1:10 “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.” Person 1 prays: ‘God, keep me alert to the sometimes strong pull of my old nature’s desire to sin. Direct me to avoid the many temptations in my culture. I ask that you would direct my loved ones to avoid temptation as well. We bring all these thoughts in Jesus’ Name, Amen.’

(Notice how God directs the theme of the prayer through His Word)