P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We look at what Jesus says to the crowd after the Rich Young Ruler walks away in sadness 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, I come into your presence in awe of who you are. You are the God who is Holy and above all things and yet you allow me to enter into your presence in confidence because of the blood of your Son. Meet with me now and fill me through the power of your Holy Spirit.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 103…
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
ho forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Luke 18:24-30
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?”
Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Luke 18:24-30
We come to one of the most well-known illustrations that Jesus gives while ministering to people. He says it is easier for a massive animal, a camel, to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. I’m now tempted to play the comparison game and let myself off the hook. I don’t want to be rich in this moment, but the truth is, I am when I look at it honestly. Jesus is trying to show us how tempting and hurtful money can be to our souls if we are not careful. It lets us control things and not depend on anyone other than ourselves. It warps our perspective and needs to be watched carefully in our lives.
Lord, I feel like the crowd, thinking, ” Who can be saved?” I ask that you show me how you make impossible things possible with your power.
Lord, send revival and fix our deformed hearts. Heal us from the idols that we cling to. Give us the power to fight against the spiritual darkness that is over us. Meet with us and fill us with your Holy Spirit.
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?
Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Luke 18:24-30
Yielding Prayer
Lord, come and heal me. Break me of the idols of this world, especially money. I am so tempted by it. Give me a dependence on you that outweighs anything this world has to offer me.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in John 10…
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10
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.