P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We finish up the encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch by looking at the truth that God speaks to his people through his Word.
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
Bless the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Sing his praise and exalt him forever. The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us [come to him now and] pray with one heart and mind.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and forever. Amen.
Church of England Book of Common Worship
– Mark Rosewell
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 114:
When Israel went out from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.
The sea looked and fled;
Jordan turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.
Psalm 114:1-8
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture in Acts 8, where we read:
And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Acts 8:29-40
This story is stunning. God is showing us today the power of his Word. In our world, we have lost sight of the beauty that God has given us his Word. It is accessible to us almost instantly at any point in the day. This encounter reminds us of the power that it has. After Philip hears the voice of the Lord and responds in obedience it quickly turns into a discussion about the Bible. And we see a couple of things:
Lord, I ask that you give me a supernatural desire for your Word. I ask that the Holy Spirit would fill me and illuminate the Scriptures to me as I read them. I ask that you would give me relationships that point me to the reading, understanding, and proclaiming of the Bible in my life.
1)What doubts or questions do I have about the Bible?
2)What is my current relationship with the Bible?
3)Does my life have a rhythm that involves the Scriptures?
4)Do I have a group or a person that I can go to with questions in order to understand the Bible better?
As the prophet Isaiah prayed, “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down” this is what we are longing for, God. Forget us not and meet us again. Pour out your Spirit in our hearts, our homes, our schools, and our workplaces in a supernatural way. Wake the sleepers and save the lost! May it happen for our eyes to see and our mouths to tell of the wonder of your glory.
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 the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Acts 8:29-40
Yielding Prayer
Lord, you are so gracious to your people. In this day and age, you have made the Scriptures more accessible than at any other time in history. Fill me with your Spirit that draws me to your Word. When I read it would I respond in obedience and love to what it tells me. You are the God who speaks, so let me listen and respond.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Isaiah 40:8:
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isaiah 40:8
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.