P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we are invited to see again that nothing we could possess compares with the treasure of belonging to the kingdom of 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, as I approach your throne, let me do what is necessary today. The thing I need most is to hear from you and your Word, so speak to me now, for I am listening. Fill me with your Spirit.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 73…
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:25-26
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:44-46
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?”
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:44-46
Jesus describes his kingdom as a treasure so valuable that everything else becomes secondary by comparison. Both the hidden treasure and the pearl produced joyful sacrifice because the people involved understood what they had found. Generosity becomes easier when our hearts recognize that Jesus is our greatest treasure. We no longer have to cling tightly to temporary things when we know we possess something infinitely greater. When Christ becomes our treasure, giving is not merely losing something; it is joyfully choosing what matters most
Lord, I ask that you show me that you are the One of great value.
Jesus, awaken our hearts to the surpassing worth of knowing you. Free us from lesser treasures and give us a joyful passion for your kingdom.
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?
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:44-46
Yielding Prayer
Lord, you are worth more than anything I could own or achieve. I surrender my treasures to you and choose to seek your kingdom above everything else.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Philippians 3…
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
Philippians 3:8
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