P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We end the week in the Book of Philippians.
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 you today remind me that my only comfort in life and death is that I wholly belong to you. You are God and I am not. Fill me with your Spirit and speak to me today.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in 2 Corinthians 4…
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
Philippians 1:21-26
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 to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
Philippians 1:21-26
Paul sums up our week perfectly here. He says Christians are to live in the tension of wanting to be with Jesus in eternity already, but also understanding that our life on earth is not to be wasted. That we trust in the Lord’s timeline in our lives. We know he has us exactly where he wants us in order to impact the kingdom of God. So we live and die in hope!
Lord, I ask that you show me what it looks like to live in Christ, and to die is gain. In a world that does not believe that give me understanding.
Lord, We come before you with hearts longing for renewal and revival. Pour out your Spirit upon us, ignite our faith, and rekindle our passion for your Word. Cleanse us from complacency and draw us closer to you. May your love and grace transform our lives, and may we be vessels of your light in a world in need. Restore our hope, strengthen our faith, and renew our commitment to your will.
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 to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
Philippians 1:21-26
Yielding Prayer
Lord, give me a hope and trust in you that Paul has that is able to say things like to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Let me hold loosely to this life, but also let me live purposefully so that many people would see my life and glorify you. I can’t do this without the power of your Holy Spirit so fill me now.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in John 11…
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
2 John 11:25-26
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.