P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We continue in our Sacred Rhythms series as we look at the rhythm of the Sabbath. We begin by looking at work.
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 enter into your presence I remind myself unless you build the house the builder labors in vain. Unless you watch over the city the watchman stays awake in vain. So, Lord, I invite your Spirit to meet me here now, because without you this time is in vain.
*Adapted from Psalm 127
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 135:
Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
give praise, O servants of the Lord,
who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God!
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing to his name, for it is pleasant!
For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession.
Psalm 135:1-4
As I read the passage, I am asking the Lord to reveal a word or phrase that stands out to me.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 2:15-17
And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
Genesis 3:17-19
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?”
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 2:15-17
And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
Genesis 3:17-19
In Genesis 2, we see a zoomed-in version of the creation of humanity. We see that God saw that it was not fit for Adam to be alone, so Eve was created out of his rib. We also see that Adam was given an assignment. Adam was given a work to do on this earth. Remember that Genesis 2 is pre-fall. That work on this earth is not a response to fallen man, but it is part of the creation of God. Adam was to tend to the garden, to work, and to keep it. His job was to make the garden flourish. We have all been given a work to make the kingdom of God flourish on this planet it is part of the creation design. The rub comes to us in modern times when we read on in Genesis 3. After the fall, what happens to our work? Well, sin is introduced into it. It becomes distorted and we feel the burden of that in our lives. It is difficult and it is hard. Sin also enters in when work is able to become our identity. When our soul craves the applause, the success, and the glory that comes from our work. All in all our relationship with the good work that we were created for gets distorted. Now, it takes effort, wisdom, and the Holy Spirit for work to remain in its God-given place in our lives.
Lord, you have created me for a good work on this earth that your kingdom may flourish. Give me wisdom to know what that looks like in my life.
Lord, you have called us by name and because of that we humble ourselves, we pray, we seek your face, and we turn from our wicked ways. Will you hear us from heaven? Will you forgive our sins? And will you heal our land?
*Adapted from 2 Chronicles 7:14
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?
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 2:15-17
And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
Genesis 3:17-19
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I praise you that you have given me a work to do on this planet. Let me yield in obedience that you created me to work and let me do it to the best of my ability and for your glory. Forgive me for letting work become more than it should be in my life. I confess that it is easy for my work to become a god in my life. Fill me with your Spirit that I may see the beauty of work, but also know the boundaries of it for my soul.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Matthew 11:28-30:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
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.