P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
As God created everything he weaves in patterns for his people. Today we look at the patterns of resurrection and rest that we see in creation.
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:
For I know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
Psalm 135:5-7
As I read the passage, I am asking the Lord to reveal a word or phrase that stands out to me.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
Genesis 1:1-8
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
Genesis 2:1-3
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?”
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
Genesis 1:1-8
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
Genesis 2:1-3
The creation narrative is so beautiful because it doesn’t just tell us about what God did, but it tells us about who God is. The days of creation each end with there was evening and there was morning on that particular day. This is unusual because this is not how we explain our days. We start our daily recap in the morning and end with sleep. God is pointing us to resurrection in the creation narrative. When we go to sleep it is symbolic of dying and in the morning when we wake up, it is a resurrection moment. God is a God of resurrection and we see that pattern all the way back in the creation narrative. God is also a God that created rest. After 6 days of the work of creation, God doesn’t rest for his own good, but he creates rest for us. He shows us the pattern he is establishing in our life to work for 6 days and to rest on the seventh. God doesn’t need rest he neither slumbers nor sleeps and yet we as humans do need rest. Rest starts from God’s creation.
Lord, I thank you that you are a God of resurrection and rest and we don’t have to guess about who you are. I ask that you fill me with resurrection power and you teach me to rest.
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?
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
Genesis 1:1-8
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
Genesis 2:1-3
Yielding Prayer
Lord, you are the God of resurrection and I praise you for that. Let me also be obedient to you in this life knowing that. In a world full of death and desturction let me truly believe that you have the power over it all. Give me faith to pray and to intercede in those plays where it seems that death is winning and ask you to move powerfully. You are also the God who created rest. In a world where busyness is a badge of honor let me prioritize rest in this life.
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.