P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
As followers of Jesus, we remember that God has not called us to follow him alone but is building us together into one people centered on Christ.
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 come to you today I am reminded of who you are. You are the God who is faithful to his people. Not just for decades, but for thousands of years and will be faithful through eternity. I praise you and I ask for all that you have for me today by the power of the Holy Spirit through your Word.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 133…
Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
Psalm 133:1
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19-22
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?”
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19-22
Paul describes the church as a household, a holy temple, and a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Jesus himself is the cornerstone, which means that everything God builds must ultimately be aligned with him. Over 85 years, generations of believers have become part of the spiritual house God has been building through this church. Some planted, others watered, others led, served, prayed, taught, gave, encouraged, and quietly remained faithful. We are now part of that same story. God is still fitting us together so that our lives, gifts, relationships, and service display the presence of Christ to the world around us.
Lord, I ask that you remind me that I am a part of a great cloud of witnesses. That I am a part of the great story that you are unfolding as your gospel goes out.
Lord, build your church among us. Make us one in Christ, deepen our love for one another, and fill our congregation with your presence so that our community can clearly see Jesus through us.
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?
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19-22
Yielding Prayer
Father, I offer you my gifts, my time, my relationships, and my place within your church. Use me however you desire as you continue building your people together.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Matthew 16…
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:18
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