P.R.A.Y

PAUSE

REJOICE & REFLECT

ASK

YIELD

Personal Worship

This week’s question comes from God to the Prophet Isaiah!

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.

Pause

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 enter into your presence I see you for who you are. You are holy, just, and good. When I see myself in comparison I know that I am a sinner in need of grace. I humble myself now and ask for your forgiveness. Where there is sin in my life let me bring it to you in confession and turn from my sinful ways. I thank you for meeting with me at this time. Pour out your Holy Spirit on me.

Rejoice and Reflect

I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 100…

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
    Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.

       Psalm 100:1-5

As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.

 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

       Isaiah 6:1-5

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?”

 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

       Isaiah 6:1-5

The timing of the call of Isaiah is important because Israel is in absolute shambles. Isaiah chapter 5 right before this God bestows 5 curses onto the people. A massive 8.2 earthquake just ravaged the region. People are dead, the infrastructure is destroyed, and the economy is circling the grave. In a moment like this, the nation needs a strong leader and that strong leader would have been King Uzziah who was a great king, but now he is dead. You can imagine Isaiah has his list ready for God of all the things that God has done that need to be fixed, but all of that is useless when he enters into the presence of God. Isaiah is so overwhelmed by God that all he can do is bestow a curse upon himself and repent of who he is. In this moment God moved from a concept to a reality. Isaiah stopped comparing himself to those around him and began comparing who he is to an utterly holy God. In that comparison, there is nothing to do but beg for mercy.

Ask

Lord, show me who you are like you showed Isaiah. Let me see you for who you are and in contrast, see me for who I am.

  1. Have I experienced the Lord in a similar way that elicits a similar response?
  2. What obstacles in my life make it difficult to see the holiness of God?
  3. Where do I need to change something in my life in order to see God’s holiness more readily?
  4. Where am I lost? Where are my lips unclean? Where do I dwell in the midst of an unclean people?
  5. What do I need to repent of today?

Heavenly Father, we come before you, seeking revival for our nation. Restore our hearts, turning us back to your ways. Pour out your Spirit across America, igniting faith, hope, and love in every corner. Heal our divisions, renew our minds, and guide our leaders with wisdom and humility. May your truth and grace sweep through this land, transforming lives and drawing us closer to You.

Yield

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?

 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

       Isaiah 6:1-5

Yielding Prayer

Lord, meet with me like you met with Isaiah. Our world seems to be falling apart and I need to be reminded that you are still in control. Let me see your holiness and let me be honest about who I am today. Give me a glimpse of the Almighty and let my heart be transformed by it.

Yielding Promise

And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Deuteronomy 6…

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

       Deuteronomy 6:24-26

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.