P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Jesus weeps over the city that will put him to death.
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, as I approach your throne today remind me that you are the King of Kings who came to meet his people on this earth. You are the God who desires to have a relationship with us. At this time meet with me afresh again.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 19:
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
Psalm 19:7-11
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Luke 19:41-44
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?”
And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Luke 19:41-44
Jesus enters with shouts of praise, but his heart is in a different place. He understands that for many these shouts of praise will not last the week. Jesus weeps with compassion over the people who do not see who he is or what he is doing. Jesus’ heart is broken for those who do not see him as their Lord and Savior. His heart is tender for those who are far off. What a picture of who our Savior is and what conviction for us today to have the heart of Jesus for those in our city.
Lord, I ask that you show me who you are. Show me what you love and show me what you hate. I desire to see your heart today.
Lord, revive the fire inside of me. Fill me with your Spirit in a way that is contagious to those around me. Meet your people in a supernatural way again. Bring light into the darkness of this world. Make your glory known in this 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?
And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Luke 19:41-44
Yielding Prayer
Lord, give me obedience to seek a heart like you have. You weep over a city because you know that many will face destruction without knowing who you really are. Give me a passion for Fort Lauderdale like you had for Jerusalem. Let me weep over those who do not know you and let me do everything in my power to preach the gospel in all aspects of my life. Let me see many come to faith in you in our city.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Galatians 2:
For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:19-20
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.
*The P.R.A.Y. acronym has been adapted from the Lectio 365 app.