P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We end this week with the ending of the Lord’s Prayer which is focused on forgiveness and temptation.
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 117:5-7:
When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.
Psalm 117:5-7
As I read the passage, I am asking the Lord to reveal a word or phrase that stands out to me.
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Matthew 6:12-13
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:31-32
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?”
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Matthew 6:12-13
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:31-32
The Lord’s Prayer ends focused on forgiveness and temptation. Two areas of life that we desperately need the Lord’s help in. Jesus assumes that when we are asking for forgiveness we are also granting forgiveness. Because he knows forgiven people forgive. Christianity is centered around the truth that we are broken people in need of a Savior because of all the ways we have sinned against God. When we receive his mercy it makes us merciful, at least it should. In our sinful state, it is easy to forget that Satan, the evil one, is actively seeking to destroy us. He is the tempter. We need the Lord to fill us with his Spirit so we can have the strength to fight against temptation.
Lord, I ask today for your forgiveness in my life. I ask that you would give me a heart that forgives like you have forgiven me. I ask that you would lead me not into temptation, but that you would deliver me from the evil one.
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?
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Matthew 6:12-13
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:31-32
Yielding Prayer
Lord, how do you want me to respond today? Lord let me experience your forgiveness today. Let it not just be words on a page, but let my life reflect the forgiveness that you have given me. And in that give me a heart of forgiveness even when I’ve been deeply wronged! Would my life be characterized and show the power of forgiveness in this world? Lord temptation is all around. Fill me with your Spirit that I may live a life of holiness and obedience to you.
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.