P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We end the week with a renewed call to follow after Jesus.
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
My Father, your word speaks of your steadfast and unfailing love toward me. So, I come now to hide under the shadow of your wings and to simply enjoy that love! Let me “feast on the abundance of your house” and “drink from the river of your delights!” I know that with you is the fountain of life; fill me to overflow as I meet with you today!
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in 2 Corinthians 1…
For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
2 Corinthians 1:20
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Mark 8:34-38
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 calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Mark 8:34-38
Our passage today makes clear that following Jesus is not an addition to life—it is a surrender of life. Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him daily. That means we no longer treat our comfort, reputation, or preferences as ultimate. The Lord reminds us that trying to preserve life on our own terms ultimately leads to loss, but surrendering ourselves to him leads to true life. His words press us to ask whether we value his approval more than the passing security this world offers. Real discipleship is costly, but nothing compares to gaining Christ.
Lord, I want to follow you. I ask that you help my unbelief today.
Lord, awaken my heart again to love you fully, seek you earnestly, and obey you quickly. Where my spirit has grown dull, breathe fresh life by your Spirit. Where distractions have weakened my devotion, turn my eyes back to you. Renew holy desire within me for your Word, for prayer, and for joyful surrender. Let revival begin deeply in me, so that my thoughts, words, and actions increasingly reflect your presence and your ways. Restore what has become weary, strengthen what has become weak, and draw me into fresh fellowship with you today.
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?
And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Mark 8:34-38
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I confess that I often want to follow you without surrendering what is most costly to me. Teach me to deny myself where my own will competes with yours. Give me courage to take up my cross in the ordinary choices of this day, trusting that your way always leads to true life. Keep me from being ruled by fear of loss, human approval, or temporary comfort. I yield my plans, my desires, and my reputation to you again today, asking that my life would increasingly reflect wholehearted obedience to Christ.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Joshua 1…
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
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