P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We go to Psalm 3 for the rest of the week to meditate on another Psalm that David wrote in the midst of adversity.
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 enter into this time today, would you allow me to lay down all fears, worries, and anxieties at your feet? Allow me to set this time apart as a space to meet with the God who created all things and loves me personally. Fill me with your Spirit and give me eyes to see what you have for me in your Scripture today.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Philippians 4…
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:4-6
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah
But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
Psalm 3:1-4
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?”
O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah
But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
Psalm 3:1-4
David begins this Psalm describing the adversity he is facing. He has many foes, and they are rising up against me. They are going so far as to say that God won’t save him this time. David shifts his gaze. From the mounting adversity to God. He knows God is his shield, his glory, and the lifter of his head. He cries to the Lord, and the Lord answers him!
Lord, I ask that you help me to change my gaze. Let me lose focus on the things of this world and the adversity, and let me see you.
Lord, revive us! Pour out your Holy Spirit on your Church and make those who are asleep come alive. Do the impossible in this world and make it your own. Our hope is in you.
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?
O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah
But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
Psalm 3:1-4
Yielding Prayer
Lord, you are my shield and my glory. I yield my fears, my defenses, and my pride to you. Teach me to lift my eyes from what surrounds me to the One who surrounds all things. When I am tempted to trust my strength, remind me that you alone are my protection and my peace. I will rest in you today, confident in your power and steadfast love.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in John 14…
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
John 14:27
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