P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we ask Jesus to purify our hearts, knowing that our words reveal what is truly being stored within us.
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, you are where I find life and find it abundantly. By the power of your Word, speak to me now. Show where I am in sin and need to repent. Show me how you are a God who loves me infinitely. Let me find my value and worth in you today.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 19…
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:14
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 12:33-37
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?”
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 12:33-37
Jesus teaches that words are fruit. A healthy tree bears good fruit, and a diseased tree bears bad fruit. Our speech is not disconnected from our hearts; it reveals what has been stored within us. This is both sobering and gracious. It is sobering because Jesus says we will give account for every careless word. It is gracious because Jesus is able to change not only what we say, but who we are. We do not merely need cleaner speech; we need renewed hearts. As we surrender to him, he fills us with truth, love, humility, and grace so that our words can bring life.
Lord, I ask that you convict me of my words and show me my heart. Hear my repentance and forgive me by the power of your Spirit.
Lord Jesus, revive our hearts and purify our speech. Forgive us for careless words, critical words, and words that do not reflect your love. Fill us with your truth and grace so that what comes out of our mouths brings life to others.
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?
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 12:33-37
Yielding Prayer
Lord, we yield our tongues, thoughts, and hidden attitudes to you. Store what is good within us, and teach us to speak with wisdom, gentleness, courage, and love.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Proverbs 18…
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Proverbs 18:21
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