P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Joseph leads his family to the sleepy, unknown town of Nazareth.
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, in the midst of the indifference of this world, would you let my worship be true? Let me see you for who you are and let me see me as I truly am. Fill me with your Spirit and meet with me.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 25…
He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
Psalm 25:9-10
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
Matthew 2:19-23
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?”
But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
Matthew 2:19-23
After Herod dies, an angel tells Joseph to return to Israel. Joseph obeys, but when he hears that Herod’s son is ruling in Judea, he withdraws to Galilee and settles in Nazareth. Matthew says this fulfills what was spoken by the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Nazareth was not a place of status or honor. Jesus, the promised King, grows up in humility and obscurity. From the beginning, his life shows us the upside-down way of God’s kingdom. The Savior does not come wrapped in worldly greatness. He comes lowly, rejected, and near to ordinary people.
God’s guidance is seen again through Joseph’s obedience. Step by step, God leads, protects, and fulfills his purpose. The King has come, and he willingly takes the humble path to save his people.
Lord, give me an obedience like Joseph. Where you all me I will go!
Lord, revive humility in me and in your church. Free us from pride, self-importance, and the desire for worldly greatness. Teach us to love the lowly way of Jesus and to trust your guidance step by step.
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?
But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
Matthew 2:19-23
Yielding Prayer
Father, I yield my desire for control, comfort, and recognition to you. Lead me in the humble way of Christ. Help me obey you in ordinary places, trust your timing, and follow wherever you guide.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Psalm 32…
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Psalm 32:8
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