P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today we will explore the fruit of peace.
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
My Father, your word speaks of your steadfast and unfailing love toward me. So, I come now to hide under the shadow of your wings and to simply enjoy that love! Let me “feast on the abundance of your house” and “drink from the river of your delights!” I know that with you is the fountain of life; fill me to overflow as I meet with you today! For, where the river flows, life abounds. (Based on Psalm 36:7-9 and Ezekiel 47:9b)
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the wonderful promises of God that I find in Isaiah 54:
“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
“O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones. All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. If anyone stirs up strife, it is not from me; whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you. Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy; no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.”
Isaiah 54:10-17
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.”
Colossians 1:19-22
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Isaiah 26:3
“Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me.”
Isaiah 48:18-19
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”
“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”
John 15:4-10
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
John 14:27
As I reread the passage, I reflect on the questions, “How is my life touched by this word?” and “How does this passage connect with my life?”
“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.”
Colossians 1:19-22
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Isaiah 26:3
“Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me.”
Isaiah 48:18-19
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”
“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”
John 15:4-10
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
John 14:27
Peace feels like one of the more elusive fruits of the Spirit. All of the conflict in the world, in our country, and in our own lives, can cause great unrest in our hearts. But Jesus, in John 14:27, tells us that he has given us his peace and that, as a result, we are not to let our hearts be troubled or afraid. That is easier said than done! And yet, we’re told that this fruit of the Spirit is available to us. And we believe that! So, what can we do to cultivate it in our lives?
Well, first of all, there can be no peace apart from Jesus. Genesis 3 indicates that, because of the fall of Adam and Eve, we are born sinners—unholy, wicked, and unjust before God. Before we come to know Christ, we are enemies of God, alienated from him and hostile towards him. But Jesus reconciled us to himself by the blood of the cross (see Colossians passage above). He paid the penalty for our sin, and now, through faith, he has given us the gift of peace with God!
Okay, but after we’ve gained that peace with God through faith in Jesus, how can we then learn to walk (or to live) in peace in this world? Isaiah answers that in Isaiah 26:3, where he tells us that peace comes from centering our minds on this God whom we trust. We think of Peter, in Matthew 14, who steps out of the boat that he’s in and begins walking on the water in the midst of a great storm towards the Lord. As long as his gaze is fixed on Jesus, he’s fine; but he begins to sink as soon as he looks at the wind and waves all around him. There is much chaos around us too! Much wind! Many waves! But Jesus is Lord over every storm in our lives (and in the world, for that matter). He is the ruling King and every authority (all the bosses, teachers, politicians, etc.) on earth are subject to him. It is interesting that Jesus grabbed Peter’s hand, helped him to the boat, and then told the wind to cease. Our sovereign God is working his redemptive purposes through every circumstance. We must trust that he is right there with us, holding our hand in the storms of this life, and beckoning us to fix our minds (and gaze) on him. Though many storms are difficult and feel anything but peaceful, we cling to the promise that they will ultimately result in our good and his glory (Romans 8:28)!
But there is another thing that disrupts the peace that Jesus makes available to us. Isaiah 48 tells us that our lack of obedience causes us to forfeit his peace (which he compares to a river) in our lives. Jesus tells us that, in order to abide with him and bear fruit of the Spirit, we must keep his commandments. His word is life to us. His commandments protect and guide and bring wisdom to our lives and, when we choose to step out from under this protection, we forfeit the peace that comes from being in alignment with him. Obviously, obedience is not something we do perfectly (and never will on this side of heaven), but God honors the heart that willingly sets a course toward obedience. And he honors it with the Spirit’s fullness, which brings power for that obedience!
Lord, as I look at the chaos in my life and in the world around me, help me to trust that you are, indeed, holding it all! Worry doesn’t make me a better citizen or parent or employee or anything. So, show me if I have an unhealthy relationship with worry. Do I see fretting as accomplishing anything positive, redemptive or helpful in my life? I admit to frequent feelings of helplessness as I see the darkness encroaching. And yet you are still on your throne and I am still your child. Lord, I come to you now with all that is chaotic in my life and world and I lay it at your feet. Bring your kingdom and glory to this world, this country, my neighborhood, church and family. And help me hold your hand tightly through it all!
And Father, I often disregard the various commandments in your word. This week alone, I can see my unwillingness to lay down unloving thoughts and ways, to sit in self-pity rather than rejoicing in my circumstances, and maybe even unwise and divisive ways that I’ve sought to strike out and fight the darkness in my own strength. Forgive me Lord, and give me a willing heart to earnestly follow you.
Lord, I want all of you that there is to have! I want that personally, I want that for Rio, and I want that for the Church here in South Florida! So, give us faith for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our day! And teach us to wait on you, to listen for your voice, to pray persistently for your Empowering Presence, and then to walk in your power. Do a great work through us for the sake of your Kingdom and your glory!
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?
“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.”
Colossians 1:19-22
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Isaiah 26:3
“Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me.”
Isaiah 48:18-19
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”
“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”
John 15:4-10
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
John 14:27
Yielding Prayer
It has been said that, “Obedience to God is the pathway to the life you really want to live.” Do I believe that, Father? Is there something else I am trusting will give me this “life I want to live” that I am consciously or unconsciously pursuing? Reveal to me the truth of the path I am on and help me to choose to trust and obey.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in John 8:
“Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32 (NLT)
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.