P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
As we think about justice and mercy, we find ourselves in the Book of Amos today.
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, every hour I need you. I am desperate for your presence. Let me experience all you have for me today through your Word and prayer. Fill me with your Holy Spirit now.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 32…
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Psalm 32:11
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
“I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Amos 5:21-24
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?”
“I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Amos 5:21-24
God speaks with fiery clarity against empty worship divorced from justice. He declares that he despises religious festivals and offerings when they come from hearts that ignore righteousness. God is not impressed by song or ceremony if they are not accompanied by lives of integrity and compassion. Instead, he calls for justice to “roll on like a river” and righteousness like a never-failing stream. True worship cannot be separated from the way we treat others—it is lived out in the streets, in the courts, and among the broken. This passage is a stark reminder that God cares more about the posture of our hearts and the pursuit of justice than the polish of our religious performance.
Lord, let me love what you love and hate what you hate. Give me eyes to see like you.
Lord, wake up your Church. Let us be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. Revive us by the supernatural power of your Holy Spirit. Bring many to faith because of our devotion to 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?
“I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Amos 5:21-24
Yielding Prayer
Lord, in obedience, I seek to love what you love and hate what you hate. Show me where I need to repent when it comes to my life. Pour out your Spirit on me.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Psalm 103…
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
Psalm 103:13
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