P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
As we continue our series, “Acts of the Holy Spirit”, this week we will see how the apostles go out after receiving the Spirit at Pentecost.
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, you are the God who hears, hear me now. You are the God who sees, see me now. You are the God who knows, know me at this moment. I enter your presence seeking a loving father, so open your arms wide and hold me close, allow me to feel the love you have for me during this time in your presence. Reveal what you have for me through your Word.
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 124:
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—
let Israel now say—
if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth!
We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped!
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 124:1-8
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture in Acts 3, where we read:
Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Acts 3:1-10
Pentecost has happened and the early church was filled with the Holy Spirit. We saw last week how the Holy Spirit created a supernatural community amongst those who gathered. As we enter into chapter 3 today, we see that the supernatural community was not an end to itself in their eyes. Yes, it was beautiful. Yes, it was amazing. Yet, it was a community that knew it was to be sent out. They followed the mission that Jesus gave them and they began right where they were in Jerusalem.
We see Peter and John continue to attend the temple. Today though we see an interaction with a man who was born lame. A man who we can assume has spent his whole life being carried to this spot outside of the temple in order to ask for alms as people entered. In this way is an asset to his family by producing some kind of income. This day though his whole entire life will change as he asks Peter and John for money.
You can imagine what kind of gaze it was that they laid on him. They say, “Look at us.” In our world, the following statements would be ones laced with pride and arrogance. LOOK AT ME and then we give our resumes on what they should see. Peter and James had quite the resumes thus far in life. They walked with Jesus himself. Jesus called Peter the rock on which his church would be built. And John was the authoritative Scriptures allowed self-proclaimed, beloved disciple of Jesus. Not just that, but they experienced the wild scene of Pentecost. In the aftermath of Pentecost Peter preached a sermon that cut people to the heart and thousands were saved. At this moment in time, they could have been filled with all kinds of pride and egotistical thoughts. Yet, all they had to give was the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and with that the supernatural power of healing. They humbly know the only power they have is what God grants them through the Holy Spirit. They are the living temples that God will use to transform the world through his power. They stand in the shadow of a temple that no longer has power, but now the power of God resides in his children because they are the ones who are filled with the Holy Spirit. God chose to heal that man that day through the power of the Holy Spirit through Peter and John. A powerful testimony to the Spirit. Peter and John understood that all they had to offer was all they needed to offer. They were humble vessels for the power of the Lord to miraculously heal this man
Lord, show me my pride. Show me that all I have to offer this world is your name and the power that comes with that. Open my eyes to the beauty and the freedom of what that means.
1)Where am I prideful?
2)How do I feel about the only thing I have to give those around me is the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth? Is that freeing or is that a letdown?
3)What pride do I need to repent of today?
Open your gates and step down, King of Glory. Show us your glory. Show us your mercy. Show us the freedom that you have for your people. Open our eyes to who you are and what you have for us. Pour out your Spirit. Wake us from our slumber and break us of the idols that we cling to. Draw us close to your all-consuming fire and let us burn for you and you alone.
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.
Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Acts 3:1-10
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I submit this life to you. Allow me the freedom and the peace that comes when all I have to offer people is you. Let my heart yield to the beauty and the power of what that means. That you alone have the power to save. You alone have the power to heal. In you alone belongs the supernatural. Humble me and give me hope that you have chosen me to be a vessel of that love and power to all those around me.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Exodus 15:26:
…for I am the Lord, your healer.
Exodus 15:26
Closing Prayer
Lord, let me remind myself of the truth that you have heard my prayers today. You have not rejected me in any way, shape, or form. You have not withheld your love from me, but your unfailing love engulfs me. Let me cling to those truths as I go from here. No matter what my day holds, those truths will remain. Make my day an offering to you, the God who deserves it all.
*The P.R.A.Y. acronym has been adapted from the Lectio 365 app.