Illumination refers to the Holy Spirit illuminating the Bible for us. If we are honest, sometimes it can be difficult for us to understand certain passages of Scripture or even entire books of the Bible.
We are not without hope in these situations, nor do we need to be content with not knowing what the Bible says. Instead, we have the option of praying for illumination when we are reading the Bible. With this in mind, we might also wonder if we can pray for illumination in our lives.
Illumination
If we are talking about praying specifically for illumination in connection with reading the Bible, then it is perfectly okay to pray for illumination.
A sample prayer for illumination when reading the Bible could be, “Dear Lord, please open my eyes, heart, and mind to what you are trying to tell me in this passage. Please help me to understand what it says and how to apply it to my life.”
While this is a sample prayer, you can create your own prayer or pray just as it comes upon your heart before reading the Bible. Praying for illumination during your Bible time can help you understand the Bible, retain it, and apply it to your life.
All of this is done by the Holy Spirit. He is the one who illuminates the Scriptures to us and helps us understand them. It is important to note that the Holy Spirit only indwells believers.
This means only believers can fully understand the Bible and its teachings. While unbelievers can read the Bible, it is impossible for them to understand it fully since they do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit.
It is only through having the Holy Spirit that a person is able to experience true illumination in their Bible reading, and in order to do this, one has to be saved by placing faith in Jesus Christ.
Illumination in Our Lives
This leads us to the major concern in mind — can we pray for illumination in our lives? Within this concept, yes, we should pray for illumination of the Scriptures in our lives. When it comes to praying for illumination in reference to specifically our lives, not including the Scriptures, it would be a no.
There is no way to have illumination in our lives apart from the Bible. If you are trying to have God help you with a decision and you are asking Him which direction you should go, you will not know God’s answer without reading the Bible.
The Bible is our sole source of knowing about God and hearing back from Him. We go to talk with Him in prayer, and He speaks back to us in His Word. He does not answer us out of a thunderstorm, nor does He divinely speak to us in our dreams.
Rather, He talks with us through the Bible because it is His Word. It is impossible to simply speak out into the world and expect God to give you guidance without ever reading the Bible.
While it is true that God can speak to us in different ways, such as through a sermon, another believer, or a worship song, His main way of communicating with us is through the Bible, and we cannot have any sort of illumination in our lives without reading the Bible.
Therefore, if you are praying for God to help illuminate truths of the Bible to impact your life for Him, better learn about Him, serve Him, and grow in your relationship with Him, yes, you can pray for illumination as you read the Bible.
However, one cannot simply just pray for illumination in their life without consulting the Bible. God wants to be involved with every single part of your life, yet He can only do this if you allow Him.
He is always present and always with you, but if you shut Him out and turn a deaf ear to Him, you will not be able to serve Him with your life.
We should pray for God’s guidance in our lives; however, the question arises how can you know God’s guidance if you never pick up the Bible? As nice as it would be to have God tell us directly what we should do, He doesn’t work this way.
We have to study the Scriptures, go to Him in our Bible reading, and ask Him to show us what we need to say.
If we continue to only cry out in words and choose to refrain from reading the Bible, it is going to be hard to hear what God is trying to say and what direction He is leading us towards.
Rather than praying for illumination in our lives without considering the Bible, we need to ask God in prayer to illuminate our time in the Word in order for us to know what to do and the direction He is leading for us in our lives.
This is ultimately the only way we can experience true illumination and discern God’s will for our future. It is a mistake to never include God in our plans. If we don’t include God in our plans, we are planning to fail.
Only by going to the Lord with our plans, asking Him for His guidance and input, and allowing Him to communicate these truths into our lives through the Bible can we actually know that we are taking the right path God has for us.
Through the Bible, we have everything we need. Paul tells us, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
As this passage tells us, everything written in the Bible is God-breathed, which means it contains the true words of God. Similarly, Paul tells us that the Bible is useful for all things, including teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.
As we can see, the Bible truly contains everything we need to know how to serve God faithfully, grow in our relationship with Him, and be guided by Him in our daily lives.
The Bible also tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
This is another important verse to remember when we are seeking out God’s guidance in our lives or illumination in our lives. Proverbs 3:5-6 encourages us to trust in the Lord, lean not in our own understanding, and to submit to Him. In doing this, God will make your paths straight.
This is why it is important for us to read the Bible because we cannot trust God unless we know about Him, and the only way to know about Him is by reading the Bible.
Leaning not on our own understanding means we need to lean on God’s understanding — not our own understanding. Yet again, we cannot do this apart from reading the Bible and hearing from Him through His Word.
What Does This Mean?
Submitting to God means we yield to and obey what He says. Submitting can be a taboo word for many people; however, in submitting to God, nothing bad will happen, nor will God ever abuse anyone.
He is not a wicked ruler who commands harsh treatment to His children. Rather, God loves us, and He only wants our best. We submit out of love because we know we can trust Him.
Therefore, we can pray for illumination in our lives if it is under the circumstances that we are praying for illumination when we are reading the Bible to attain guidance from the Lord. There is no way to pray for illumination outside of this.
We cannot pray broadly for illumination in our lives without consulting the Bible. It is tempting to try to plan out our own lives; however, it is important that we consult God and include Him in our plans.
God has the best plans for our lives, and this cannot be realized without reading the Bible and praying for Him to open our eyes to the Bible. This in turn will help enhance our lives and ensure that we are following the path God wants us to follow in our lives.
For further reading:
Does the Holy Spirit Speak Through the Bible?
3 Ways to Empower Your Prayers
How to Read and Understand the Bible in 4 Simple Steps
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This article is part of our prayer resources meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.
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