P.R.A.Y

PAUSE

REJOICE & REFLECT

ASK

YIELD

Personal Worship

The words of Jesus are divisive amongst the Jews of Jesus’ day and they are divisive in our world today.

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.

Pause

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

Father, as Jesus taught in Matthew 18:3-4, I come to you as a child and humble myself before you. Open your arms to receive me, Lord. Incline your ear toward me as I climb onto your lap to share my heart with you now. Hear my prayers Lord and speak clearly to me that I may know your heart and that you may know mine.

-Mark Rosewell

Rejoice and Reflect

We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 71:

O God, be not far from me;
    O my God, make haste to help me!
May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;
    with scorn and disgrace may they be covered
    who seek my hurt.
But I will hope continually
    and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
    of your deeds of salvation all the day,
    for their number is past my knowledge.
With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;
    I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

Psalm 71:12-16

Today we are reflecting on the words of Jesus in John 10, where we read:

And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

John 10:16-21

Jesus continues to paint this beautiful picture of what it looks like for him to be our good shepherd. Not only is he the good shepherd to his sheep, but he is bringing others into the fold. Jesus reveals more about what it looks like for him to lay down his life. He lays it down so that he may take it up again and all of it he willingly does for his people.

The Jews respond in their normal fashion. Some believe and some doubt. The words of Jesus have always been divisive. It’s not just in our modern world where people are divided by who Jesus is and what he has to say, it’s been from the start. What causes the doubt? What keeps us as people away from Jesus? I think one of the reasons is that if Jesus is the good shepherd we are not. In our pride, we want to be our own all in all. We want power and control. We want to be able to rely on ourselves for everything and anything. So when Jesus comes to us and says you are not the shepherd in this metaphor you are the sheep it causes division because some understand and some do not. I think another reason is the exact opposite. It is easy to look at ourselves in our mess, in our brokenness, and in our sin and think there is no way a good shepherd would ever lay down his life for me. We doubt that anyone, especially God could love us like that. So it causes some to walk away. The question for us is which response are we? How will we respond to the invitation from the good shepherd?

Ask

Jesus, I ask that you would help my unbelief in this divided world. When I hear your voice will you help me to believe even if the crowd does not?

1)What beliefs about Jesus are divisive in my mind?
2)Where is it difficult for me to believe the teachings of Jesus because the culture and those around me believe differently?

Jesus, revive our hearts. You have come to give your people abundant life. An abundant life that can only come from you. Break us of our desires for this earth that promise to satisfy us, but leave us empty inside. Give us a spirit of repentance to turn from the ways of this world and come back into union with you. In our brokenness would you fill us mightily with your Spirit? May all the glory and praise belong to you.

Yield

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.

John 10:16-21

Yielding Prayer

Lord, I submit to the teachings in your Word. I yield in obedience to what you have to say. I believe in the difficult, the controversial, and the unknown purely because you have said it. Help me in my unbelief. Give me the courage to stand firm in what you have to say in a culture that doesn’t want to or care to hear you. Fill me with your Spirit of truth.

Yielding Promise

And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in John 1:29-30

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’

John 1:29-30

Closing Prayer

Dear Jesus, help us to spread Your fragrance everywhere we go. Flood our souls with Your Spirit and Life. Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly that our lives may only be a radiance of Yours. Shine through us and be so in us that every soul we come in contact with may feel Your presence in our souls. Let them look up, and see no longer us, but only Jesus!

Cardinal John Henry Newman

*The P.R.A.Y. acronym has been adapted from the Lectio 365 app.