a prayer practice developed by Kirk Freeman, and modified by Raimer into a more user-friendly and reproducible tool
Discovery Prayer is a simple, reproducible way to pray directly from Scripture by thanking God for who He is, declaring His truth, and asking Him to fulfill His will in us.
(English & Español)
Prayer • Oración de Descubrimiento (Es)
Discovery Prayer is a simple way to pray directly from Scripture in a way that opens a real, conversational relationship with Jesus. Instead of coming to God with a long list of requests, we let His Word shape what we pray, how we pray, and what we listen for.
It is called Discovery because we are discovering—through the Holy Spirit—who God is and what He desires for His people. And it is called Prayer because we turn what we discover into a living dialogue with Jesus.
Discovery Prayer is not a formula. It’s a launching pad that propels us into an active, ongoing conversation with the Lord.
We use Discovery Prayer because:
It keeps us rooted in God’s Word—not our emotions or assumptions.
It helps us hear God’s heart clearly as we read His Word, reflect on who He is, and pause to listen for His voice.
It is easy to learn, easy to share it, helping every believer pray Scripture and teach others to do the same.
It builds a habit of praying truth, not just need.
It shifts prayer from “talking at God” to talking with God.
It trains us to pause, listen, and respond to the leadings of Your Spirit.
It grows and strengthens us when we pray this way with God’s people, because each person’s prayer helps open our eyes to more of what God is saying.
It is one of the most accessible ways to help someone actually experience prayer, not just learn about prayer.
Before we begin, we often pray something like: “Father, as we read this passage, would You bring to mind words and thoughts that reflect both You character and Your will?” Then we ask the Holy Spirit to show us what He wants us to see and help us hear what He wants us to hear. After that, we follow the Discovery Prayer steps below, allowing Scripture to shape a prayer that is conversational, biblical, and deeply personal. We pause and listen attentively, giving space for God to speak to us.
This practice can be used individually or in small groups to enrich our prayer life and help us learn to pray in alignment with God’s heart.
The group begins by reading the chosen verses out loud together. Then a facilitator leads the prayer time, guiding everyone through each question step-by-step and allowing short pauses to listen to the Holy Spirit as He highlights Scripture. Each person is invited to pray something brief from the passage, and the whole group benefits from hearing one another. The facilitator simply manages the time and gently moves the group from one question to the next. If time remains after Discovery Prayer, different people can share how this practice has blessed or helped them.
an actual discovery prayer for a small group based on Ephesians 4:15-16 NLT
Bible Text Chosen:
"Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love." - Ephesians 4:15-16 NLT
1. Truths About God
THANK - “Father, thank You that Jesus is our Head—the One who leads, guides, and shapes us. Thank You that You are the One who fits Your people together perfectly.”
DECLARE - “You are the God who builds Your church. You make every part matter. You supply the love, the unity, and the growth. You never stop forming us to become more like Christ.”
DECLARE - “It is Your will for our small group to speak the truth in love, to grow more and more like Christ, and to function as a healthy body—each person doing their part.”
ASK - “Lord, make us a small group that builds each other up. Grow us in Your love. Help each person discover and use their gifts and the shape of who they are to be a true blessing to each other. Shape us into a healthy, growing, Christlike community—full of Your love.”