P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Peter and John are released and they turn to God in prayer.
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 so gracious to me that you would bend your ear to me. You are the God who is not only good, but you are near. So meet me with you nearness now. Open my eyes and my heart to what you will speak to me today.
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 96:
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!
Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”
Psalm 96:7-10
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture in Acts 4, where we read:
When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed’—
for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
Acts 4:23-30
What was their immediate response after being released? It was to run to their community and pray! They know that they need someone outside of themselves to intervene in this situation. I think it is fascinating to see people’s private prayers in Scripture. It is a great tool to help guide us in our prayers. A couple of things stick out from this prayer. The first is that they quote Psalm 2 at the beginning. They are praying the Old Testament Scriptures that they know. The second thing that sticks out is that they spend 5 of the 7 verses rehearsing who God is. Then after doing that, they make their request. Their request is big and necessary, but they still spend the bulk of their time reminding themselves who God is. It is a great reminder and guide for us in our own prayer life.
Lord, you are great and high above all. I ask that you open my eyes to who you are. Show me your glory and show me your power.
1)Write down all the praise worthy attributes of God.
2)Spend some time just praying through all of those.
Jesus, revive our hearts. You have come to give your people abundant life. An abundant life that can only come from you. Break us of our desires for this earth that promise to satisfy us, but leave us empty inside. Give us a spirit of repentance to turn from the ways of this world and come back into union with you. In our brokenness would you fill us mightily with your Spirit? May all the glory and praise belong to you.
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.
When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed’—
for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
Acts 4:23-30
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I yield my life to you. Let me be obedient to you above all else. In the face of threats and warnings give me boldness. Fill me with your Spirit!
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in 2 Timothy 1:7:
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7
Closing Prayer
Lord, fill me with your Spirit in a way that causes me to go out from here in boldness. You have not given me a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and self-control. Let me live this day in that way as I seek to be a light in my home, my workplace, my school, and wherever else your Spirit will lead me.
*The P.R.A.Y. acronym has been adapted from the Lectio 365 app.