P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
You guessed it, Commandments 5 and 6 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, let me behold your glory. You are the one and only God. You are holy and good. Your steadfast love meets with your people. Meet with me today. Convict me where there is sin, and let me experience your grace and mercy. Fill me with your Holy Spirit now, and give me understanding.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 119…
Deal bountifully with your servant,
that I may live and keep your word.
Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
I am a sojourner on the earth;
hide not your commandments from me!
My soul is consumed with longing
for your rules at all times.
You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
who wander from your commandments.
Take away from me scorn and contempt,
for I have kept your testimonies.
Even though princes sit plotting against me,
your servant will meditate on your statutes.
Your testimonies are my delight;
they are my counselors.
Psalm 119:17:24
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
“You shall not murder.
Exodus 20:12-13
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
Matthew 5:21-22
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?”
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
“You shall not murder.
Exodus 20:12-13
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
Matthew 5:21-22
The 5th Commandment is the only one with a promise attached. Kinda crazy that the promise comes with the command to honor your father and mother. In different seasons of life, this obviously looks different, but there is no graduation from it. The 6th Commandment is you shall not murder. Jesus expands this far past just physically taking the life of another in the New Testament. He says we can murder someone in our hearts without ever laying a finger on them. He cares about the status of our hearts.
Lord, give me understanding today. Fill me with your Spirit and show me the true state of my heart.
Lord, I repent of my lack of holiness and even a lack of a desire to be holy. Forgive me for seeing your Law as a burden and not a source of life. Fill me with your Spirit and transform my heart now.
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?
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
“You shall not murder.
Exodus 20:12-13
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
Matthew 5:21-22
Yielding Prayer
Lord, in obedience, I am learning to love your commands. Forgive me for not honoring my father and mother like I should. Forgive me for how easily my heart leads to judgment and anger. Fill me with your Spirit and transform me day by day.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Romans 8…
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2
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.