P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Abimelech and Abraham continue negotiations this time over a well.
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, I bow before you, yearning for Your guidance and comfort. Your love and mercy have been my strength, and I am grateful. Please open my heart to your will and fill me with your Spirit. Lead me in your truth, and help me to trust in your plan. Surround me with your peace and draw me closer to you.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 145…
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
Psalm 145:3
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
When Abraham reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized, Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.” So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this may be a witness for me that I dug this well.” Therefore that place was called Beersheba, because there both of them swore an oath. So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.
Genesis 21:25-34
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?”
When Abraham reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized, Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.” So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this may be a witness for me that I dug this well.” Therefore that place was called Beersheba, because there both of them swore an oath. So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.
Genesis 21:25-34
Abraham has given up land and now a dispute arises about a well. It is quickly solved by Abraham bringing some sheep and oxen in exchange for the well and they make a covenant. We see at the end of this passage something that is not uncommon in the Old Testament, but definitely uncommon in our modern world. Abraham plants something as a reminder of God’s grace and makes it a spot of worship. What name of God will he worship here? Abraham worships the Everlasting God. Abraham is using his worship and his life to remind himself that there is more after this. That this life is not all there is. We need that reminder as well.
Lord, I ask that you give me a heart of worship. Give me a heart that when things happen on this earth and in my life I turn and I give my worship to you.
Heavenly Father, I seek your revival in my life. Restore my soul and renew my mind. Pour out your Spirit upon me and awaken a deeper love for you. Help me to turn away from distractions and focus on your purpose for my life. Let your grace renew my heart and inspire me to walk in your truth with unwavering faith.
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?
When Abraham reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized, Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.” So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this may be a witness for me that I dug this well.” Therefore that place was called Beersheba, because there both of them swore an oath. So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.
Genesis 21:25-34
Yielding Prayer
Lord, you are the Alpha and the Omega; the beginning and the end. Let my heart trust the story you are weaving for me. Let my heart run to worship like Abraham’s did. Give me reminders of who you are and how good you are to me. Let my life show that I believe that you are the Everlasting God who loves and cares for me.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Jeremiah 29…
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
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.