P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We are continuing our Pictures of God series, and this week, we are looking at clothing.
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
Heavenly Father, I come before you with a humble heart, seeking your presence and guidance. You are holy, loving, and full of mercy. Draw me closer to you, that I may walk in your light and know your truth. Cleanse my mind, renew my spirit, and fill me with your peace. Teach me to trust you more each day and to follow your will with faith and love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 54…
O God, save me by your name,
and vindicate me by your might.
O God, hear my prayer;
give ear to the words of my mouth.
Psalm 54:1-2
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths….
And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
Genesis 3:1-7; 21
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?”
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths….
And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
Genesis 3:1-7; 21
What is the first thing they do after Adam and Eve sin and experience the fall in Genesis 3? They seek to cover their shame. Now, they look at each other and themselves and see their nakedness, and instinctually, they know their need to cover themselves. Later on, God does something beautiful for them. He says the coverings that they made are not enough and that something has to die for them to be covered. In their case, it was an animal; in ours, it’s Jesus. Jesus went to the cross and died so that if we believe in him, we too can be covered in our sins and shame!
Lord, I ask that you show me my sin and shame and remind me of the great covering that you are.
Lord, visit your people again with the Holy Spirit in a supernatural way for a period of time. Pour out your glory, and let us see you. Bring us to repentance and transform our hearts.
As I read the passage for the final time, I listen for 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?
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths….
And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
Genesis 3:1-7; 21
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I praise you that you do not hide from me in my sin. You are the great provider, forgive me for going to lesser things. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and let me confess all my sin and shame to you now, knowing that you are faithful and just to forgive me.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Isaiah 26…
You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Isaiah 26:3
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.