P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
The Lord is good to his people in spite of who they are!.
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
Lord, as I end this year in your presence would you meet with me? Remind me of the faithfulness you have shown me this past year. Fill my heart with joy that you are the God who loves me. Wherever I may find myself today, would you fill me with hopeful anticipation about a future with you? Meet with me, my God.
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 119:90
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
Psalm 119:90
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture in Jeremiah 32, where we read:
“Now therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence’: Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.
“For thus says the Lord: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them. Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are saying, ‘It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.”
Jeremiah 32:36-44
It is amazing that this passage comes right after yesterday’s passage. The very same people that God described yesterday who have walked away from him are the same people God makes an everlasting covenant with today. The beautiful part is the people didn’t do anything to deserve this. They didn’t see the judgment of Babylon coming and change their ways. They stayed the same, but the Lord in his goodness will call them back to himself. And here’s the thing to see. The Lord does not save them from the judgment they deserve at this moment from Babylon. That will still happen, but the promise of God is that he will not forget them in that judgment. God is the subject of all of these sentences. He says, “I will” over and over and over again. He is the one doing all the good to the people who have only done wrong. He will bring them back to dwell in safety. He is going to change their hearts to hearts that fear and follow him. Last but certainly not least, he will make with them an everlasting covenant. God obligates himself to do what he says in the covenant. He is putting his reputation on the line. This covenant doesn’t have anything for the people of Israel to do. It is not if you do this I’ll do this, no. It is God saying I am going to do all of this, not based on what you do, but who I am. We see all throughout Scripture that God is a God of covenants. God knows that we are sinful people, but in his grace and mercy he enters into covenants with us that we will not be forgotten. God is not like all those on this earth who have hurt us with betrayal. God is not like all those on earth who have lied to us and turned their back on us. God is not like all those on earth who have abandoned us based on a whim. God is a God who creates an everlasting covenant with his people to do good to them and to place the fear of the Lord in our hearts so that we may never turn away from him.
Lord, I praise you that you are a God of covenants. You are a God that never changes, nor forsakes your Word. I ask that you would continue your covenant with me today. Do not forsake me or turn from me. Do not stop doing good to me. I ask that you place the fear of the Lord in my heart so that I follow you all the days of my life.
1)Why should I be encouraged and astounded that God is a God that works in unbreakable covenants with his people?
2)What does it look like for the Lord to do good to me?
3)What does it look like for me to fear the Lord today?
God, nothing is too great for you to accomplish. As the new year approaches, I ask for you to pour out your Spirit on your people. Would you make 2023 the year you wake your sleeping church? Would you make 2023 the year you pour out your Spirit in a supernatural way in South Florida? Would you make 2023 the year we look back on and remember that it was in that year that the Lord dealt with his people mercifully by making his glory known amongst them?
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.
“Now therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence’: Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.
“For thus says the Lord: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them. Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are saying, ‘It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.”
Jeremiah 32:36-44
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I surrender my life to you. You have been so good to your people throughout history. You have been faithful when your people have been faithless. You have been merciful when your people only chased after idols. Lord let me see and live life in the protection of your covenant. You love me and will never forsake me. Let me follow you as I go today. Whatever you call me to I trust, because you have been faithful for generations.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Hebrews 8:6:
But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.
Hebrews 8:6
Closing Prayer
Lord, as I leave this moment would you go with me? As I have met with you and heard what you have to say give me the strength to hear what needs to be heard and to obey what needs to be obeyed. Fill me with your Spirit that guides and convicts. Let me experience the love and mercy you have for me as I walk in step with you. May the words of my mouth match the meditations of my heart today?
*The P.R.A.Y. acronym has been adapted from the Lectio 365 app.