P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We finish up Psalm 27 today.
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 have risen from the dead, forever defeating sin and death. As I enter your presence, I am reminded of whose presence I am and how I am allowed to be here. I enter confidently, knowing that it is not by my merit but by what you accomplished during Holy Week. Speak to me now.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Isaiah 26…
You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Isaiah 26:3
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the Lord will take me in.
Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
Psalm 27:7-14
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?”
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the Lord will take me in.
Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
Psalm 27:7-14
Through this Psalm, you can feel David’s deep desire for the Lord. He desires to seek the Lord, and he trusts and believes that the Lord will meet him. He desires to grow by being taught the way of the Lord. He believes, even if his circumstances don’t show it, that he will see the goodness of God in the land of the living. He knows there will be waiting, though. He commands himself to be strong and take courage when waiting on the Lord.
Lord, give me a heart like David. Give me a passion and a zeal for intimacy with you. Above all else, let me see your face today.
Lord, when you speak, things are transformed. I ask now that you speak your glory over this earth. Pour out your Holy Spirit in a unique way and draw many to yourself. Do what only you can do.
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?
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the Lord will take me in.
Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
Psalm 27:7-14
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I cry out to you in obedience, just like David. I need you to move in my life. I am seeking your face, so hide not your face from me. Teach me your way, oh Lord, and let me see your goodness. I wait on you now, fill me with strength and courage.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Proverbs 18…
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
Proverbs 18:10
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.