P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We move on from the Prodigal Son to a man named Zacchaeus.
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 approach this time with you today let me see your glory. Remind my heart that you are a good Father who loves me. Where there is anxiety bring peace. Where there is pain bring healing. Where there is doubt bring confidence. Where there is sorrow bring comfort. May your joy become my joy in this time.
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 145:
All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you!
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
Psalm 145:10-13
As you read the passage, ask the Lord to reveal a word or phrase that stands out to you.
He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:1-10
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?”
He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:1-10
We may know a song about Zacchaeus’ deformed body, but the truth is Zacchaeus’ problem was his deformed heart. St. Augustine describes sin as disordered love. For Zacchaeus number one on his list of loves was money and everything else followed that. He was a wealthy tax collector, which means he most likely cheated people out of money by charging them more than he was giving to Rome and lining his pockets with it instead. Hated by the people in a way that they didn’t even want him to see Jesus. Jesus sees Zacchaeus though. He knows Zacchaeus and he wants to meet with Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus is transformed. His loves are reordered where money is no longer at the top of the list, but Jesus is. His life follows where his love is now located.
Lord, show me where my love is disordered. I don’t want to live a life that just has you on the list, but I want my life to show that you are the number one love in my life.
Lord, revival begins with me. I ask that you would pour out your Spirit on me. I desire my heart to look like your heart for those around me who do not know you. Transform me and give me eyes to see like you have seen me.
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?
He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:1-10
Yielding Prayer
Lord, you are the one I desire, yet so many other things get in the way of that. I ask for forgiveness for all of those times. I want to be obedient to you and you alone. Transform my heart in the way that you transformed Zacchaueus’. I love you and I am thankful that you love me.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Luke 19:10:
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
Luke 19:10
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.