P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today we see the Sabbath is for our good, not our demise.
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 136:
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
Psalm 136:1-3
As I read the passage, I am asking the Lord to reveal a word or phrase that stands out to me.
One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?”And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:23-28
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?”
One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?”And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:23-28
Jesus flips the Sabbath on its head in the New Testament. Just like any other commandment that God has ever given it eventually due to our sinful nature becomes a burden. The Jews at the time made up these rules upon rules in order to obey the Sabbath to a point where the beauty of it was missing. That may be what we know about the Sabbath. Things like don’t flick the light switch on or drive in a car, but Jesus in this passage in Mark gives us a new perspective on it. He doesn’t change the overall message of it, but he invites us to see the Sabbath as for us. We were not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for us. God looked at us and gave us purpose in work, but he also knows all of the downfalls of how we could distort that. He knows we need rest so he gave us the Sabbath. A time that we don’t just check all of the boxes, but a time where we ask ourselves what would it look like to be present with God, others, and myself without any distractions or busyness. What does my soul need? For a lot of us if not all of us we are so busy and burdened that all we are looking for is rest. Rest that extra sleep cannot give, but rest that a true Sabbath could give us.
Lord, you are so good to me. I ask that you teach me what it means for the Sabbath not to be a burden but a gift. I ask that you teach me what it means for the Sabbath to be for me and not against me.
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?
One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?”And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:23-28
Yielding Prayer
Lord, if you made the Sabbath for me help me to stop saying no to it. Allow me to see that you have created this for me, not as a burden but as something my soul needs. Obedience to the Sabbath seems to difficult to be honest so give me strength to try to figure it out.
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.