P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Jesus’ hard saying freaks the disciples out 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.
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, you promise in James 4:8 that you draw near to those who draw near to you. At this moment my desire is for your presence so I ask that you fulfill that promise to me today and draw near to me. Meet me in your grace and mercy as I come to you.
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 95:
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
Psalm 95:1-5
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture in Mark 10 where we read:
And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Mark 10:23-31
Jesus gets to the heart of his teachings today. That the Rich Young Ruler trusted in himself, but this life only works if we trust in God. Hard sayings seem impossible to our ears when we hear them, yet God is calling us to obedience. Obedience is not in our own power but in the power of God. All things are possible with God. All things are not possible in our own power. Jesus knows that this world and all of the things in it are tempting to our souls. He is trying to save us from loving this world. He is teaching us that suffering in this life leads us to glory. That the first will be last and the last shall be first. That the wealth and all other things that prop us up and fill us with satisfaction are just frauds to what Jesus has to offer. That when we follow him this life is no longer about us, but it is about him and his glory.
Lord, give me a heart of trust. Let me see that with you all things are possible and in my own strength they are not. Open my eyes to what you have for me today.
1)Would my response to Jesus’ hard saying be like the disciples?
2)What do all things being possible with God teach me about who he is? Does he really mean all things?
3)What does it look like for me to be last in this life in order to be first in the kingdom of God?
Lord, throughout history, you have met your people and poured out your Spirit on them. I ask that you would do the same in our world today. Would you bring revival to your people? Wake us wear we are sleepy and draw us to repentance where we are stuck in sin. We ask to see your glory spread throughout our city, our country, and our world.
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.
And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Mark 10:23-31
Yielding Prayer
Lord, if I am honest I don’t want to be last in this life. If I am honest all things do not always seem possible with you. Break me of this and show me who you are. Give me a heart that trusts you and seeks to obey you in this. I yield to being last in this life and show me what that means in my world.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Romans 8:32:
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:32
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.