P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Genesis 38 takes a timeout on the story of Joseph and zooms in on his brother Judah.
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
Father, I come to you with a heart full of gratitude. Thank you for the blessings that remind me of your goodness. As I open your Word, increase my joy in you and teach me to delight in your truth. May my praise rise from a heart anchored in your presence.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in 2 Corinthians 12…
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her, and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him.
And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also. Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father’s house.
Genesis 38:1-11
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?”
It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her, and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him.
And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also. Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father’s house.
Genesis 38:1-11
As we begin the story of Judah for the first part of this week, we need to remind ourselves that through Judah’s line, Jesus will come, which will reveal the shocking mercy of God as the week progresses. Judah’s story in Genesis 38 illustrates the consequences of how small compromises can lead to massive sin. One of the only commands God gives to the Patriarchs in Genesis is not to marry Canaanite women. Judah does that. We don’t know why he moves away from his family, maybe due to the guilt and shame of selling off his brother, but we don’t know. Things go badly with his children. This is the first time in Scripture that God sees the wickedness of one individual and smites them off the planet. That doesn’t happen once, but twice to Judah’s sons. That should be a red flag to Judah, but he continues. He doesn’t do what is right in the eyes of God regarding Tamar. He is supposed to give one of his living sons to her, but he disregards her. Again, seems like a small compromise, but it has massive consequences. That is the terrifying nature of sin in this world and something that needs to be taken seriously.
Lord, by the power of your Spirit, I ask that you keep me from drifting away from you and towards sin. Let your kindness lead me to repentance today.
Join us for Pray First, set your heart on God this week, asking Him to awaken a deeper longing for His presence.
“You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.” James 4:2
“Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you…” 1 Samuel 12:23a
These are challenging verses, revealing difficult truths about our prayerlessness: We do not have because we do not ask, and that “not asking” is a sin. Prayer is our vital connection to the Spirit and our source of life. Our complacency toward it costs us dearly.
Pray: Gracious Father, we thank You that the cry of Your heart is for a close walk with Your people. Thank You for these verses, which are meant to guide us back to Your heart and put us back in the fight for Your redemptive purposes. Forgive our prayerlessness, Lord. We repent. Allow us to experience Your presence as we turn to walk in more faithful prayer. And as we pray, let us witness Your faithfulness in the answers to our requests! Thank you that you do not withhold blessings from your repentant people!
As I read the passage for the final time, I listen to 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?
It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her, and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him.
And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also. Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father’s house.
Genesis 38:1-11
Yielding Prayer
Lord, forgive me from where I turn from you and the accountability of your people. Draw me near to you. Let my obedience come from the love that you have shown me in this life. Fill me with your Spirit and let your kindness lead me to repentance today.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Genesis 50…
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good
Genesis 50:20
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.