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How to Pray Before Reading the Bible

Praying before you read the Bible is one of the simplest habits with the biggest effect, and it takes only a moment. It changes reading from a solo effort to squeeze meaning out of an old book into a conversation with the God who wrote it. You are not approaching a dead text; you are opening a letter in the presence of its Author, who is right there and glad to help you understand. A short prayer before you begin quietly says: I cannot do this alone, I want to hear You, open my eyes. And that posture, humble and expectant, is exactly the one in which God loves to speak.

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”Psalm 119:18

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”Psalm 119:130

“Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,”Luke 24:45

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”John 16:13

Let's make this simple

The prayer does not need to be long or polished. In fact, one line of Scripture makes a perfect prayer to pray before reading: Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. You are simply asking God to help you see what you would otherwise miss, to soften your heart, to speak to you, and to lead you to Jesus. You can pray in your own plain words too. The point is not the wording but the turning, deliberately turning toward God before you read, admitting your need for His help, and inviting Him to make the words come alive. It reframes the whole time as time with Him.

How to actually do it

Try a simple pattern before you read. First, pause and remember you are in God's presence, He is here. Second, ask Him to open your eyes and your heart to understand and receive. Third, ask specifically to meet Jesus and to be changed, not just informed. A few sentences is plenty. For example: Father, open my eyes to see You in these words; quiet my heart, help me understand, and show me Jesus. Then read expectantly, and when something stirs you, pause and turn it back into prayer. Reading and praying begin to weave together, so that Scripture becomes a conversation rather than a monologue you are straining to decode alone.