P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Jonathan encourages David while David’s soul longs for God.
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 promise to be with your children in the midst of all of the circumstances in this life. Whether I find myself on the mountaintop or in the valley my desire in this moment is to be present with you. Pour out your Spirit on me now and let me see your beauty.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 27…
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
Psalm 27:7
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.” And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
1 Samuel 23:15-18
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
Psalm 63:1-4
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?”
David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.” And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
1 Samuel 23:15-18
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
Psalm 63:1-4
David is hiding in the wilderness when Jonathan secretly comes to see him. The text says Jonathan “strengthened his hand in God.” Jonathan reminds David of God’s promises and assures him that God’s purposes will stand. This moment of encouragement is precious. In a lonely and dangerous season, God provides a friend who reminds David of truth. Psalm 63 reveals David’s deeper response in the wilderness. Though surrounded by danger, his heart longs for God:“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you.” The wilderness strips away distractions. It reveals what the soul truly needs. David realizes that more than safety, comfort, or success—he needs God himself.After David saves Keilah, Saul sees an opportunity. He believes David has trapped himself inside a fortified city. Saul begins preparing to attack. David again turns to the Lord. Through the priest Abiathar and the ephod, he asks two specific questions: Will Saul come down? Will the people of Keilah hand me over? God answers both questions clearly—yes. This must have been heartbreaking. David had just risked his life to save this city, yet the very people he rescued would betray him to Saul. Still, because David sought the Lord, he was able to escape before Saul arrived. God sees what we cannot see. He knows the intentions of people, the paths ahead of us, and dangers we may never recognize on our own. When we seek him, he guides us with wisdom beyond our understanding. Trusting God means believing that his knowledge is greater than our perspective.
God, you are my God; earnestly I see you today. I ask that you would give me a heart that desires you above all else.
Revive us, oh Lord! Meet with a broken humanity who is returning to the dust. Save us from ourselves and from the Enemy who seeks our destruction. Bring many to faith and deliverance in you. You are the God who saves, and that is what we desire to see.
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?
David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.” And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
1 Samuel 23:15-18
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
Psalm 63:1-4
Yielding Prayer
Lord, my soul needs you more than anything else. In every season of life, draw my heart closer to you. Help me thirst for your presence and delight in your love. Thank you for the people who encourage my faith and remind me of your promises. Strengthen my heart in you today.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Isaiah 41…
But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:8-10
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