P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
In this third week of our 3 week series entitled “The Cry for Revival: Praying for God’s Presence,” we will explore how the Lord responds to his praying church and how he desires to partner with us in bringing his kingdom to earth!
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
My Father, as I enter your gates this morning, there is thanksgiving in my heart! I praise you, that as your child, I can approach your throne of grace! Thank you for your promise that, as I draw near to you now, you will faithfully draw near to me. Assure me today of your great love for me as I open my heart to you and seek to be changed in your transforming presence.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Micah 7…
“But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”
Micah 7:7
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
“You do not have, because you do not ask.”
James 4:2
“He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede.”
Isaiah 59:16a
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14
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?”
“You do not have, because you do not ask.”
James 4:2
“He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede.”
Isaiah 59:16a
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14
Last week we looked at how to approach God for personal revival. This week we’ll look at what God wants us to do with that personal revival. In other words, why did God wake us up? For what purpose? To what end? Well, today, we’ll see that one reason God awakens us is so that we can pray for the world!
Amidst our busy schedules, distractions, seasons of dryness, etc. most of us still find time to pray for our families and personal needs. However, the needs of the world often feel overwhelming and almost paralyzing. We may even question whether our “tiny little prayers” can actually make a difference in the face of such enormous problems.
And yet, God assures us they do. Last week, we looked at the remarkable prayer promises that Jesus gives us; promises that seem designed to awaken within us the confident expectation that God will answer our prayers! In our verses today, James reminds us of a simple but hard truth: we do not have because we do not ask.
In Isaiah 59, the Lord’s people have finally realized the depths to which their sins and iniquities have separated them from God. From this verse, we learn that the intercession (or prayers) of just one person crying out on behalf of all the rest of God’s people (as Moses did for the Israelites at the mountain of God in the wilderness – see Exodus 32:11-14) would make all the difference with God, but there is no one to be found.
And then, of course, we see God’s great promise to us in 2 Chronicles 7:14, that, if God’s people (the church) would seek him, turn from our wicked ways and pray, he will come and heal our whole land.
Now, just like last week, we see that there are some conditions attached to this promise that we must meet (and we we’ll see that in other passages later this week), but this amazing promise assures us that God genuinely responds to the prayers of the one or of the few by changing the way he acts toward others (even nations) in the world.
In light of this truth, let’s ask the Lord to examine our hearts.
Dear Jesus, the state of my prayer life matters! Not only is my prayer life integral to my relationship with you, but it is also essential to bringing light into the darkness immediately around me and elsewhere in this world. Help me to see the barriers to prayer that I have not yet conquered. In fact, help me to see anything that hinders me from having a vibrant prayer life.
My God and Father, I understand that you meant prayer to be the great power by which your church should do its work. It is when we ask, not only for ourselves but also for others, that you answer and heavenly blessings are brought to earth. What a wonderful privilege it is to partner with you to have your kingdom come! So today, I ask that you would bring revival, first into my heart, as I seek to align myself rightly with you, and then into my home, neighborhood, workplace and the world!
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?
“You do not have, because you do not ask.”
James 4:2
“He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede.”
Isaiah 59:16a
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14
Yielding Prayer
Lord God, I know you do not intend for prayer to be a burden to me or a source of self-condemnation. Rather, you would have it be a joyful place where I experience your love and peace, receive power and strength for the work you send me to do, and find answers to my requests.
I confess that I struggle with unbelief at times, as well as weariness and busyness. And, apparently, I also often think I can do life and ministry (in my home or elsewhere) without you, even though you clearly tell me that, without you, I can do nothing. Forgive me and my prayerlessness.
Help me step out in faith with my whole heart, trusting that, as I persevere in prayer and continue to seek you and align myself with your conditions, I will begin to experience more of your presence, the answers to my prayers, and your movement in the world around me!
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in James 5…
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
James 5:16b
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.