P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today we look at the starting point for what it looks like to ask God. The starting point for us is humility.
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, I ask that you would meet with me at this moment. Let me experience you deeply. Pour out your Spirit on this time. Let me rest in the fact that you know everything about me and that there is nothing I can hide from you, yet you promise to draw near to me when I draw near to you. You are the God who draws near to his people and I ask that you would do the same for me now.
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 148:
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!
Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!
Psalm 148:7-10
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture in 1 Peter 5, where we read:
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7
This verse is a clear command that puts all things in their proper place. It shows us who God is. He is mighty and powerful. He is God and we are not and the starting point of asking anything of him is to understand that and come to him in humility. And when we do come to him in humility what is the promise attached? That God who is mighty and powerful will exalt us at the proper time. I don’t know what that exaltation looks like or when it will happen, but this is absolutely wild. This is the seeming backwardness of the gospel. That humility in the Kingdom of God leads to exaltation. God doesn’t stop there though. He then invites us to lay down all of our anxieties, why? Because he cares for us. Personalize that for a second. There are 7.837 billion people on the planet currently and he cares about you uniquely. Let that sink in for a while.
Lord, I ask that you show me what humility looks like. Reveal yourself to me as the mighty God you are and allow me to humbly come to you with all things.
1)What is humility?
2)What does it look like for me to humble myself before God practically?
3)Where is my pride keeping me from Jesus?
4)What anxieties do I need to give to Jesus today?
5)Is my heart singing in the truth that I am cared for by God? If not, why is it not?
Lord, revive your people by drawing us to yourself. As we seek to abide, ask, and follow you over this next season would you do only you can do? Revive our hearts and pour out your Spirit among us. Wake those who are asleep and resurrect those who are spiritually dead. We ask that you come in a supernatural way to meet with your Church as we unify under one banner and cry out to you!
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.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I lay down my life humbly at your feet. I let go of all pride that keeps me from you. I am a sinner in desperate need of you. Teach me what it looks like to surrender to you in humility.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in James 4:8
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
James 4:8
Closing Prayer
Lord, you have met with me today. You have poured out your Spirit and wisdom on me. Let me now leave being renewed by who you are and who I am in you. Let me be a light in a dark world that points people to your glory.
*The P.R.A.Y. acronym has been adapted from the Lectio 365 app.