P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We come to the easily said, but very difficult to live out truth of praying for our daily bread.
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 come into this time with you today I remind myself that this time is not spent in vain. In this moment the God who created all things hears my prayers and the cries of my heart. He doesn’t just hear me, but he speaks to me. So speak now Lord for your servant is listening.
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 117:1-2:
Praise the Lord, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 117:1-2
As I read the passage, I am asking the Lord to reveal a word or phrase that stands out to me.
Give us this day our daily bread,
Matthew 6:11
In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’” And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
Exodus 16:13-21
As I reread the passage, I am reflecting on the questions, “How is my life touched by this word?” and “How does this passage connect with my life?”
Give us this day our daily bread,
Matthew 6:11
In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’” And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
Exodus 16:13-21
Jesus knows we have needs and the Lord’s prayer invites us to ask for those things. Jesus invites us to ask God to give us our daily bread. He reminds us that this is not a one-time prayer, but each and every day we need to rely on the Lord to sustain and provide for us. This line would have taken the Jewish people right back to the wilderness with their ancestors. As the people of Isreal began to complain while they were in the wilderness after God had freed them from slavery in Egypt God had a peculiar way to provide for them. Each day (except the day before the sabbath) each person was allowed to grab enough manna just for that day. It wasn’t worth trying to sneak more because it would just go bad, by God’s design. God was teaching the people that he is the God who sees them and provides for them. Their need for him is dire and daily. For us, it is not bread from heaven, but it is a thousand different things. Thanks be to God that he hears us when we need him and he is the perfect God who provides for us perfectly.
Lord, I ask that you would give me this day my daily bread. Show me that you are the God who provides for me.
Lord, we humbly seek your forgiveness and mercy. We have sinned against you and wandered far from your ways. We’ve failed to love, obey, and offer others the forgiveness we’ve received and the mercy we’ve been shown. We repent of our sins. We return to you seeking revival, renewal, and restoration. Fill us with your Holy Spirit and let our lives and our relationships reflect Jesus Christ. Revive us, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
As I read the passage for the final time, I listen for how the Lord is inviting me to respond to him. Where in my life do I need to yield in obedience to what he has for me?
Give us this day our daily bread,
Matthew 6:11
In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’” And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
Exodus 16:13-21
Yielding Prayer
Lord, you are the good Father who provides for his children. Lord, I confess that I often desire to live without you because I pridefully believe that I don’t need you. Oh, how untrue that is! I need you every single day. Show me my need for you and show yourself strong by providing for me. I thank you that I can trust you with every aspect of my life and that you will never let me down.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Matthew 6:6:
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:6
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.