P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today we begin a new series titled “Jesus Over Everything” where we will walk through the Book of Colossians over the next few weeks!
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 desire the one necessary thing today; I desire to experience you. I choose the good portion that cannot be taken away from me. I draw near to you, take my anxieties and my troubles; I lay them at your feet.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 33…
Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
Psalm 33:20-22
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,
Colossians 1:1-5
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?”
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,
Colossians 1:1-5
Paul thanks God for the faith, love, and hope he sees in the Colossian believers. These three belong together: our faith is placed in Jesus, our love is extended toward others, and our hope is secured for us in heaven. When our hope is rooted in Christ instead of our circumstances, we are free to trust God and love others with greater courage and generosity.
Lord, I ask that you give me faith in Jesus, love for the saints around me, and hope that you have secured for me in heaven.
Father, revive our hearts with fresh confidence in the hope of the gospel. Strengthen our faith in Jesus and deepen our love for one another.
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?
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,
Colossians 1:1-5
Yielding Prayer
Lord, we surrender the things we have been trusting besides you. Help us place our faith fully in Christ, love others generously, and live with our hope fixed on you.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Hebrews 6…
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:19-20
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