P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today we will look at the gift of shepherding/pastoring.
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
Guide us, O God, by your Word, and Holy Spirit, that in your light we may see light, in your truth find freedom, and in your will discover peace; through Christ our Lord, Amen.
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 84:
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!
Psalm 84:11-12
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture, where we read:
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ
Ephesians 4:11-12
The gift of shepherding/pastoring is not just for pastors! A helpful definition is “the pastoral gift is the capacity to exercise concern and care for members of a group so as to encourage them in their growth in Christ, which involves modeling maturity, protecting them from error, and disseminating truth.” It is a gift that is characterized by words like concern, care, model, personal responsibility, and welfare. It is a gift that calls the gifted to walk alongside people as a shepherd walks alongside his sheep. Jesus described shepherds as people willing to lay down their lives to protect the sheep. It is a gift that mimics the heart of God with individual care and concern for the people under the shepherd’s care. It is a beautiful gift given by the Holy Spirit and is uniquely needed and significant in the Body of Christ. This is the hope and the heart behind Community Groups here at Rio. Groups where people can be known and shepherded in a way that can’t happen on Sunday mornings. Community Groups are places to be instructed, to build unity, and to heal wounds. A place where we can be fully known and fully loved.
Lord, open my eyes to what you have for me. I want to have everything that you have created for me to have. Give me the desire to pursue the gifts that your Spirit has given me. Give me wisdom and discernment to identify and use what you have bestowed upon me.
1)How does the gift of shepherding/pastoring build up the body of Christ?
2)How can this gift be applied and used?
3)What characteristics does someone who has been given this gift have?
4)Have I been given this gift, why or why not?
Wake us up, Lord! Remind us to live aware, to redeem the time, to listen to your words, and to be willing to make a difference in the places you’ve called us to be. Thank you for your mighty power that acts on behalf of your children. Out of your kindness, please extend to us your grace and freedom. Cover us with your protection. Empower us with your strength. We ask for an awakening of your presence in our own lives and in the world around us, as never seen before. We pray for your help to be faithful to proclaim your name, and that all the enemy’s plans to silence the name of Jesus would be crushed.
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.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ
Ephesians 4:11-12
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I thank you that you have raised up shepherds in this world. That you have uniquely gifted some who care deeply about the people in their lives. The ones who will always take that call or have that conversation. I pray now that if you have gifted me with that gift will you fill me with your Spirit in order to carry it out. Give me a supernatural love for the small group of people that you have placed around me. If not, would you allow me to find my place in this world where I am being shepherded? Lord, I thank you for the diversity of the gifts that you have given to your Church. Would you let us use them well for your glory?
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Matthew 28:
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
Closing Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit. Fill me with love. Fill me with joy. Fill me with peace. Fill me with patience. Fill me with kindness. Fill me with goodness. Fill me with faithfulness. Fill me with gentleness. Fill me with self-control. Let me walk in your Spirit today as I leave here.
*The P.R.A.Y. acronym has been adapted from the Lectio 365 app.