P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we ask Jesus to make our words trustworthy, our hearts humble, and our responses to others free from revenge.
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 15…
O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
Psalm 15:1-2
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Matthew 5:33-42
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?”
“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Matthew 5:33-42
Jesus calls his people to such honesty that they do not need manipulative promises or exaggerated oaths to be believed. “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’” Kingdom people are marked by integrity. Their words are steady because their hearts belong to God. Then Jesus turns to retaliation. Instead of living by revenge, defensiveness, and personal payback, he calls us to a surrendered strength that refuses to answer evil with evil. This does not mean evil is good or injustice is harmless. It means we are not ruled by the need to get even. Jesus frees us to be truthful without manipulation and merciful without weakness.
Lord, create in me a heart that pursues integrity, lives generously, and acts mercifully.
Lord, revive truthfulness and mercy in me. Purify my speech so that my words reflect your character. Free me from defensiveness, manipulation, and the need to be seen as right. Give me the strength to refuse revenge and the grace to respond to insult, inconvenience, and injustice in a way that honors you.Lord, revive purity in my heart. Cleanse what has become hidden, divided, or compromised. Give me holy desires, disciplined eyes, and a renewed imagination. Teach me to love people as image-bearers, not objects. Strengthen my faithfulness and make my heart fully devoted 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?
“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Matthew 5:33-42
Yielding Prayer
Father, I yield my words and my rights to you today. Make me honest when lying would be easier, gentle when defensiveness rises, and merciful when I want to retaliate. Teach me to trust you with my reputation, my wounds, and my sense of justice. I surrender the need to control every outcome, and I ask you to make me more like Jesus.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in 1 Peter 2…
When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
1 Peter 2:23-24
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