P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We continue to see the beauty of a life defined by delight in the law of the Lord.
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, your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. As I approach your throne this morning I ask that you give me life according to your word. Let me experience your presence as I read and meditate on the word you have for me today.
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 119:
Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,
your salvation according to your promise;
then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,
for I trust in your word.
And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
for my hope is in your rules.
I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever,
and I shall walk in a wide place,
for I have sought your precepts.
I will also speak of your testimonies before kings
and shall not be put to shame,
for I find my delight in your commandments,
which I love.
I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,
and I will meditate on your statutes.
Psalm 119:41-48
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture in Psalm 1:3-4, where we read:
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 1:3-4
If a blessed life is defined by a delight in the law of God what are the outworkings of that in this life? The Psalmist gives us a beautiful description. One that I think all of us would desire in this crazy world. Like a tree planted by streams of water. A tree that produces fruit and does not with. In everything he prospers. That is not true of everyone as verses 4 and 5 point out. It is a beautiful picture of what our lives on this earth could look like.
Lord, I ask that you give me a desire for this to be a description of my own life. Fill me with your Spirit and speak to me now.
God, revive our hearts through the reading of your Word. Raise up a generation whose hearts are on fire for your teachings. Show us 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.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 1:3-4
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I don’t want to be like the wicked that are driven away by the wind. I don’t want to be in the congregation with the sinners. I want you to know me and I want to pursue righteousness. I don’t want to live for myself anymore. Fill me with your Spirit so that I can seek after you and your Word.
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.