P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we come to Jesus as the one who fulfills the Law, completes God’s promises, and gives us a righteousness deeper than outward religion.
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 your presence, I ask that you would meet with me. By the power of the Holy Spirit, would you enter into my world? Where you are able to be praised, let me praise you. Where I need to confess and repent, let me do so quickly. Where I can obey, you let me do so without pause. Transform my heart to look more like yours.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 19…
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward
Psalm 19:7-11
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-20
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?”
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-20
Jesus says he did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them. He is not pushing God’s Word aside; he is bringing it to its intended goal. Every command, promise, sacrifice, prophecy, and pattern finds its completion in him. This means we do not approach obedience as a way to earn God’s love, but rather as a response to the Savior who has fulfilled what we could never do. Jesus also warns that kingdom righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. He is calling us beyond surface-level religion to a heart being transformed by grace.
Lord, I ask that you create in me a love and devotion to your Word. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and produce in me a righteousness that can only be found in you.
Lord, revive my heart with a fresh love for your Word. Awaken in me a deeper trust in Jesus, who fulfills all righteousness for me. Rescue me from empty religion, shallow obedience, and outward performance. Let your Spirit form in me a heart that loves what you love and obeys because I belong 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?
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-20
Yielding Prayer
Father, I yield my life to your Word today. I confess that I cannot make myself righteous by my own effort, and I receive the righteousness that comes through Jesus. Teach me to obey not as a way to prove myself, but as a child who has been loved, rescued, and made new. Shape my desires, my thoughts, my words, and my actions so that my life honors you from the inside out.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Romans 10:4…
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Romans 10:4
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