P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today we learn to cultivate a posture of waiting.
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
My Father, as I enter your gates this morning, there is thanksgiving in my heart! I praise you, that as your child, I can approach your throne of grace! Thank you for your promise that, as I draw near to you now, you will faithfully draw near to me. Assure me today of your great love for me as I open my heart to you and seek to be changed in your transforming presence.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 38…
“But for you, O Lord, do I wait;
it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.”
Psalm 38:15
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains might quake at your presence—
as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil—
to make your name known to your adversaries,
and that the nations might tremble at your presence!
When you did awesome things that we did not look for,
you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
From of old no one has heard
or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
who acts for those who wait for him.”
Isaiah 64:1-4
“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”
Psalm 62:5-7
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Psalm 27:14
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.”
Psalm 130:5-6
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?”
“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains might quake at your presence—
as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil—
to make your name known to your adversaries,
and that the nations might tremble at your presence!
When you did awesome things that we did not look for,
you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
From of old no one has heard
or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
who acts for those who wait for him.”
Isaiah 64:1-4
“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”
Psalm 62:5-7
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Psalm 27:14
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.”
Psalm 130:5-6
On this final day of our “Cry for Revival” series, we return to our initial cry: “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!” Over these three weeks, we’ve explored the meaning of revival and our desperate need for it within the church; and we’ve learned about the crucial role of prayer and how to align ourselves with God’s conditions for powerful intercession, as well as, the assurance of His response. Today, the Lord instructs us on how to wait for him to move.
Biblical “waiting” is not passive inactivity. In each of the following passages, we see different forms of active engagement during the waiting period.
Isaiah 64 finds the petitioner pouring out his heart for God’s intervention, then recounting God’s mighty acts of the past, recalling his power and unexpected rescues. He is expressing his trust that God will act for those who wait for Him. One commentary notes, “There is, however, a special blessing connected with waiting for the Lord. Men, even church-going men, would rather work than wait. They also love the legalism more than the holiness of waiting.”
In Psalm 62, David commands his soul to remain in trust and surrender to God, placing his complete expectation upon him. Even silence is not inactive. It is here that we can still our souls, and place ourselves into the hand of God, acknowledging his sovereignty and our dependence, listening for his voice, and receiving what we need for the day.
Psalm 27 encourages us to wait with courage amidst our circumstances. As we seek and rely on God, he promises to strengthen our hearts.
Finally, Psalm 130 reveals that our waiting should be grounded in the promises that God gives us in his word. Like watchmen eagerly anticipating the dawn—not doubting its arrival, but confidently watching for its first light—so should we, as God’s people, wait for Him with unwavering faith!
Dear Jesus, as I meet here with you, show me how it is I wait. Speak to my heart as I answer these questions:
My God and Father, I understand that you meant prayer to be the great power by which your church should do its work. It is when we ask, not only for ourselves but also for others, that you answer and heavenly blessings are brought to earth. What a wonderful privilege it is to partner with you to have your kingdom come! So today, I ask that you would bring revival, first into my heart, as I seek to align myself rightly with you, and then into my home, neighborhood, workplace and the world!
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?
“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains might quake at your presence—
as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil—
to make your name known to your adversaries,
and that the nations might tremble at your presence!
When you did awesome things that we did not look for,
you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
From of old no one has heard
or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
who acts for those who wait for him.”
Isaiah 64:1-4
“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”
Psalm 62:5-7
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Psalm 27:14
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.”
Psalm 130:5-6
Yielding Prayer
Amazing God and Father, your word is so full of love, amazing promises, compassion, and instruction! I come to it and am sustained, encouraged, strengthened and challenged. Lord, as I take to heart this calling to pray for revival, I trust that you will work in me and through me as I pray and abide and wait and believe! Continue to stir your passion in me for the lost and broken, for the ones who need hope and healing, and let me, alongside my brothers and sisters, wholeheartedly follow wherever you lead!
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Micah 7…
“But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.”
Micah 7:7
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.