P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we come honestly before the Lord, trusting that confession leads us into his mercy.
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, I bow down at your feet today. Prepare my heart now as I enter into your Word through the Scriptures and prayer. Meet with me and let me see your beauty, and let that transform me by the power of your Spirit.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 34…
I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Psalm 34:5
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Matthew 3:4-6
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?”
Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Matthew 3:4-6
The crowds come to John in the wilderness, confessing their sins and being baptized in the Jordan River. They do not come pretending to be strong, clean, or righteous in themselves. They come with open confession. This is the pathway of grace: not hiding, but coming into the light before God. The Lord does not call us to cover our sin, manage our image, or perform spirituality. He calls us to confess honestly and receive mercy humbly.
Lord, let me see confession as the beautiful gift that it is. You have given us a way to come back to you.
Lord, bring revival by making your people honest before you. Free us from hidden sin, spiritual pretending, and fear of being exposed. Let confession become a place where we meet your mercy and experience the cleansing grace of Christ.
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?
Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Matthew 3:4-6
Yielding Prayer
Father, I yield my hidden places to you. I confess that I often want to appear stronger than I am. Teach me to walk in the light, to love truth, and to receive your mercy with a humble and grateful heart.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in 1 John 1…
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:5
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