P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
This coming Sunday marks the beginning of the Advent season. Advent means “arrival” and signifies the start of an event or the arrival of a person. In Christian communities around the world, Advent is a four-week season of remembrance and celebration of the arrival of Jesus on Earth. It’s a time to reflect on the unexpected nature of Jesus’ humble birth and join in the anticipation of when he will come again to reunite Heaven and Earth once and for all. Our focus this Advent is on the miraculous power 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 enter into Advent, let me experience the anticipation and the desire of God entering into humanity. You are the Creator who enters into his creation. You are the Author of Life that steps onto the page. Let me experience the invitation to surrender to a love that does that for me.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Zephaniah 3…
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3:17
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
Genesis 3:14-15
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 Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
Genesis 3:14-15
Mondays are all about prophecies this Advent season. We begin at the first mention of what Jesus will do when he comes, all the way back to Genesis 3. Think about the mercy of God. In the midst of the Fall, God gives hope. In the midst of the darkness, God shows what he will do in his own power. He is going to one day crush the head of the serpent.
Lord, this Advent season, draw me close to you. You promise that when I draw near to you, you will draw near to me. I ask for that now.
Lord, this Advent season, would you revive my heart? You entered into time and space in order to save me when I was your enemy. Bring me back to a place of love for you this season. In the midst of all of the celebrations, fix my eyes on what you have done.
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 Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
Genesis 3:14-15
Yielding Prayer
Lord, in the midst of the cursing due to our disobedience, you give hope. There was hope for Adam and Eve even in the midst of their grave error. You are a God who shines brightest in the darkness. Fill me with hope this season.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Luke 1…
For nothing will be impossible with God.
Luke 1:37
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