P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Jesus responds to the grumbling of the Jews after what he has just told them.
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, as I come before you today, I take a deep breath. I am aware of my mind and heart slowing, as I find rest in your presence. I sense the fragrance of your Holy Spirit and lay a sacrifice of praise at your feet.
“Praise the Lord of hosts, For the Lord is good, For his mercy endures forever-and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord.”
Jeremiah 33:11b NKJV *
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 37….
“In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.”
Psalm 37: 10-11
Today we are reflecting on the words of Jesus in John 6, where we read:
“So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
John 6: 41-51
There is no better day to think about grumbling than today! We see after Jesus gave them the beautiful truth that he has come to do the Father’s will they responded by grumbling. They couldn’t match what Jesus was revealing about himself to who they knew him as. They didn’t believe he was who he said he was. They looked at him as being fully man, but not fully God. Jesus didn’t match the expectations of who they believed he would be so they concluded that he could not be from God. This isn’t just a “them” problem, but a human problem. Our grumbling comes from our unmet expectations as well. Our unmet expectations about our relationships or our careers. Our unmet expectations about how this life should go. Our unmet expectations come to the feet of Jesus when we believe he should be doing something different for us and through us. The truth is Jesus can handle our unmet expectations. We have to turn our unmet expectations into prayers though before we turn them into grumblings.
Jesus, show me where my grumblings need to be prayers. Reveal to me where I am allowing unmet expectations to rule my life and isolate me from you.
1) What are my current unmet expectations?
2) Where am I grumbling instead of praying?
Lord, come down and meet with your people again. We long for your presence here on this earth in a supernatural way. Revive the desires of our hearts. Open our eyes to the truth that satisfaction is not found in the things of this earth, but you came so that we can have life. Show us your face.
As I read the passage again slowly, I listen for anything that You would say to me in it. Help me see how to position my life in order to yield to your word…
“So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
John 6: 41-51
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I surrender my expectations to you. I yield my life to you, not what I want from it, but what you want from it. I lay down all my unmet expectations, anxieties, and worries at your feet. Grumbling does nothing, but prayer has the ability to turn this world upside down.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Peter 5….
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
Peter 5: 6-7
Closing Prayer
Thank you, Lord, that when we offer praise and thankfulness to you and fix our eyes on you, even in the midst of what seems to be the worst, you meet us right where we are. Truly we know in these times, the meaning of the word “sacrifice” when co-joined with praise. Your Holy Spirit embraces us and empowers us to live a life worth living! Glory to you Lord God. Amen.*
*Prayers by Tina Rosewell
*The P.R.A.Y. acronym has been adapted from the Lectio 365 app.