P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We meditate today on the truth that where our treasure is our heart will be also.
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
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me. Amen.
*Prayer of Saint Patrick
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the promises of God that I find in Isaiah 40:29:
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Isaiah 40:29
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 12:32-34
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?”
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 12:32-34
We ended yesterday with Jesus’ common to seek first the kingdom of God and that can seem like a daunting task. Jesus reminds us today though that God is not hiding in from us. In fact, it is his good pleasure to give us the kingdom of God. Disciples of Jesus are always working to divest from the world and invest in the kingdom of God. Because where our treasure is our heart will be also.
Lord, I ask that you give me the kingdom of God. Pour into me the ethic of the kingdom and reduce in me the ethic of this world. Show me where my treasure is and reveal to me where my heart is.
Lord, this week break me of my desire to build up my kingdom on this earth. Break me of my desire to store up treasure here on this earth. Revive my heart to trust in who you are. Fill me with your Spirit and give me a renewed vision for my purpose here on this earth when it comes to material goods.
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?
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 12:32-34
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I yield to you and I desire your kingdom and not a kingdom of my own making. Teach me what it looks like to divest from this world and invest in the kingdom of God. Make my treasure and fill my heart with things that are eternal!
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Ephesians 3:
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20
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.