P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we will see Philip and his encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch. We will see that God speaks directly to his people.
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
Bless the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Sing his praise and exalt him forever. The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us [come to him now and] pray with one heart and mind.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and forever. Amen.
Church of England Book of Common Worship
– Mark Rosewell
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 113:
The Lord is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!
Who is like the Lord our God,
who is seated on high,
who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 113:4-9
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture in Acts 8, where we read:
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”
Acts 8:26-29
We started the week at creation where we saw God speak and creation respond. Here we see in the Book of Acts exactly the same thing. We see God speak and his creation responds. God spoke directly to Philip twice in this group of verses and Philip responds in obedience and goes. Imagine Philip hearing the angel of the Lord. He is told to go to a desert place, but no more details are given. Why did he go? I think it is because he knew it was the voice of the Lord and God has already proven his voice faithful to Philip in his life. The question that we may have today is does God still speak directly to his people? It is an honest question because maybe many of us have yet to experience that. We saw God speaking at creation. We see God speaking to Philip here. If God is unchangeable then we can believe that he still speaks to us today. Even more so we have the Helper. The Holy Spirit indwells his people. All of the urgings and guidance from the Spirit are there and will be heard if we listen.
Lord, I ask that you would speak to me today. Show me and guide me by the power of your voice what it looks like for me to live this life faithfully. Give me ears and a heart that hears you.
1)What is my experience with hearing God?
2)How do those experiences inform my beliefs on this topic?
3)Is there space and margin in my life that I have purposefully set aside just to listen for the voice of the Lord?
4)If not, will I find a space and dedicate it to that?
As the prophet Isaiah prayed, “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down” this is what we are longing for, God. Forget us not and meet us again. Pour out your Spirit in our hearts, our homes, our schools, and our workplaces in a supernatural way. Wake the sleepers and save the lost! May it happen for our eyes to see and our mouths to tell of the wonder of your glory.
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 an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”
Acts 8:26-29
Yielding Prayer
Lord, give me obedience and faith like Philip. A faith that hears your voice and obeys immediately. I ask that you would speak and guide me today. Fill me with your Spirit that I may respond in obedience and yield to whatever you have for me in the moment.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Isaiah 40:8:
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isaiah 40:8
Closing Prayer
Lord, enable me, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to love you today with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to serve you today, by loving and caring for others as I do my own self; and, to exalt you today, by telling the people in my world about the abundant and eternal life found only through faith in Jesus.
*The P.R.A.Y. acronym has been adapted from the Lectio 365 app.