P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
This week we will explore what leaves us languishing on the river bank or even headed toward the wilderness.
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
Our Father, we look to you, the one who opens rivers on the bare heights, fountains in the midst of valleys, and pools of water in the wilderness! Pour your Spirit over us afresh as we seek your face today! For we know that, with you, is abundant life. (based on Isaiah 41:18)
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Isaiah 66
For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,
and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;
and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip,
and bounced upon her knees.
As one whom his mother comforts,
so I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem
Isaiah 66:12-13
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:25
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?”
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:25
For the past four weeks in our River Dwellers series, we have seen how we, as Christians, are completely dependent upon the Spirit of God for every aspect of our lives. As we surrender our lives to him daily and yield to his direction and commands, we trust that he will then come in power and fullness to do his work in and through us, thus letting the river of his abundant life flow!
In this fifth and final week of our “River Dwellers” series, we will look at some of the ways we inadvertently quench or grieve the Holy Spirit, thus “climbing out of the river,” if you will, and possibly even beginning the trek towards the wilderness. But before we go into some specifics, it might be helpful to identify some “indicators” (or warning signs) in our lives, that might alert us to the fact that we may have climbed out of the river and begun to dry off (not to belabor the analogy!).
Our compassion barometer: When we are properly connected to the Spirit, we feel compassion for other people! We feel patience and tenderness towards them. When people start to become irritating, we know that something in us is off.
Our humility barometer: When we can clearly see the sin of the sinners around us (and perhaps even get angry or impatient with them), while forgetting that we too are sinners saved by grace, we might be off. This also shows up in anger or defensiveness when someone expresses a grievance they have with us, or in letting small offenses done by others have a big effect on us.
Our peace barometer: When anxiety and worry start crowding in, we can see that there is something in our souls that we need the Spirit to speak into.
Our passion barometer: When we are walking in fullness, Jesus is our passion. When we find ourselves overly concerned with things that do not have eternal value, or become attached to things that pull our attention away from him, we need to pay attention.
These are just a few of many things in your life that can alert you to a possible problem that’s beginning to surface. If we can stay aware of our barometers, and go to Jesus at the first sign of trouble, he is faithful to speak into our need and help us back into the water!
Lord, do I recognize when I’m pulling away from you? What indications in my soul would help me to see that more clearly? Speak to me in these moments, my Jesus, and teach me to understand the reasons for my struggles! Show me my pride, self-reliance, and worldliness, or perhaps just my need for time away with you, so that you can restore my soul.
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?
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:25
Yielding Prayer
Kay Arthur says that, “God knows what each one of us is dealing with. He knows our pressures. He knows our conflicts. And He has made a provision for each and every one of them. That provision is Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit, indwelling us and empowering us to respond rightly.” Lord, show me myself and how you want to empower me to walk rightly with you. I yield to your will and way in me now.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Jude that he:
“…is able to keep (me) from stumbling and to present (me) blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,”
Jude 1:24
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.