P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
The disciples are caught on a boat in a storm today.
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 Romans 5…
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Mark 4:35-41
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?”
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Mark 4:35-41
In the storm on the Sea of Galilee, the disciples discover that proximity to Jesus does not exempt them from trials, but it does guarantee his presence. While they panic, Jesus sleeps, not out of indifference but out of divine peace. When he rises and speaks, creation obeys him. The disciples’ fear shifts from the storm to awe of the One who commands the wind and waves. This passage invites us to trust Jesus not only when the waters are calm, but especially when they are not. His power is unmatched, his presence is unfailing, and his peace is available even in the fiercest storms. Faith grows when we learn that Jesus can be trusted in what feels overwhelming.
Lord, I ask for peace in the midst of the storms of my life. I cry out to you today, knowing that you are the God who controls all things and brings peace.
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?
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Mark 4:35-41
Yielding Prayer
Lord Jesus, I bring you the storms that shake me and the fears that rise within me. I choose to trust that you are with me in every moment, even when you seem silent. Speak your peace over my heart and over the circumstances around me. Teach me to rest in your presence and rely on your power. I yield my fear, my control, and my assumptions to you. Strengthen my faith so that, no matter how fierce the winds become, I may stand in awe of who you are.
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