P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Jesus today will make it clear to us what it looks like for him to do the will of the Father on this earth.
Together we will pray (P.R.A.Y.) each day – ‘P’: Pausing to be still as we come into the presence of the Lord. ‘R’: Rejoicing as we remember who our God is and what He has done, and Reflecting on His word. ‘A’: Asking God to help us and others. And ‘Y’: yielding to His will in accordance with His word.
As I come before you to pray, I still my thoughts and quiet my mind. I seek to make you the center of my focus.
Prayer of Approach
Heavenly Father, as I come before you today, I take a deep breath. I am aware of my mind and heart slowing, as I find rest in your presence. I sense the fragrance of your Holy Spirit and lay a sacrifice of praise at your feet.
“Praise the Lord of hosts, For the Lord is good, For his mercy endures forever-and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord.”
Jeremiah 33:11b NKJV *
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 37….
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.”
Psalm 37: 7-9
Today we are reflecting on the words of Jesus in John 6, where we read:
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
John 6: 37-40
Feel the beauty in the will of the Father carried out by Jesus on this earth. All that the Father gives to Jesus will come to Jesus. Rest in the hope and assurance that comes with that. All of the people of God were chosen by God and drawn to Jesus. And when we come to Jesus he will never cast us out. Not based on our reputation past, current, or in the future. Not based on our performance in this life in any way shape or form.Not based on who we are, but wholly based on who Jesus is. The desire and will of the Father are to be reunited with his children again and Jesus through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension will make that possible. The promise is not just for now, but a reminder that Jesus is coming again. That the advent season is not just about looking back on how he once came, but by looking to when he will come again to judge the living and the dead. On that last day, the same assurance and hope live in us, because Jesus will never change nor will the will of the Father.
Jesus, I ask that I would experience the love you have for me. Show me that the Father’s will is to be with his people again and I am personally included in that.
1) What does the will of the Father reveal about how he feels about me personally?
2)What hope do I have based on this passage?
Lord, come down and meet with your people again. We long for your presence here on this earth in a supernatural way. Revive the desires of our hearts. Open our eyes to the truth that satisfaction is not found in the things of this earth, but you came so that we can have life. Show us your face.
As I read the passage again slowly, I listen for anything that You would say to me in it. Help me see how to position my life in order to yield to your word…
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
John 6: 37-40
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I surrender my life to your will just like Jesus did. Break me of my selfishness and desire to follow my own will in this life. I yield to the One who created all I see. Let my life be for your glory alone.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Revelation 21….
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21: 1-4
Closing Prayer
Thank you, Lord, that when we offer praise and thankfulness to you and fix our eyes on you, even in the midst of what seems to be the worst, you meet us right where we are. Truly we know in these times, the meaning of the word “sacrifice” when co-joined with praise. Your Holy Spirit embraces us and empowers us to live a life worth living! Glory to you Lord God. Amen.*
*Prayers by Tina Rosewell
*The P.R.A.Y. acronym has been adapted from the Lectio 365 app.