P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we ask Jesus to deepen our hunger for righteousness, enlarge our mercy, and purify our hearts before God.
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, fill me with your Holy Spirit. Meet with me in this time. Enlighten not just my mind, but fill my heart with your truth. Transform me by the power of your Spirit more and more into your likeness.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 24…
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul
to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
Psalm 24:3-4
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Matthew 5:6-8
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?”
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Matthew 5:6-8
Jesus blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are merciful, and those who are pure in heart. Kingdom life is not casual interest in holiness; it is hunger. It is a deep longing for God to make things right in us and through us. But this hunger does not make us harsh toward others. The righteous life Jesus blesses is full of mercy because we have received mercy from God. Purity of heart means an undivided life before him—our desires, motives, and loves brought into the light. Jesus promises that those who hunger will be satisfied, the merciful will receive mercy, and the pure in heart will see God.
Lord, I ask that you fill me with your Spirit. Give me a desire to see your kingdom here on earth in and through me.
Lord, I can only seek first the kingdom if you revive me. Pour out your Holy Spirit on me and transform me by your power alone. I need a revival, not just a spring cleaning.
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?
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Matthew 5:6-8
Yielding Prayer
Father, I yield my shallow desires, my hidden motives, my lack of mercy, and my divided heart. Fill me with a hunger for what is right, a heart that reflects your mercy, and a longing to see you clearly.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Psalm 107…
For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
Psalm 107:9
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