P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we ask the Lord to make our repentance real, fruitful, and pleasing to him.
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 bow down at your feet today. Prepare my heart now as I enter into your Word through the Scriptures and prayer. Meet with me and let me see your beauty, and let that transform me by the power of your Spirit.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 1…
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:1-2
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matthew 3:7-10
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?”
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matthew 3:7-10
John warns the Pharisees and Sadducees that religious appearance is not the same as true repentance. They cannot rely on heritage, status, knowledge, or outward identity. John says, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” Real repentance is more than words; it produces visible change. This passage invites us to examine whether our faith is merely familiar or truly fruitful. God desires a life that turns from sin and bears the fruit of surrendered obedience.
Lord, I ask that you draw me into a life of integrity. Let my outward actions match my inward heart and vice versa.
Lord, revive your people with true repentance. Do not let us settle for outward religion while our hearts remain unchanged. Produce in us the fruit of humility, holiness, love, and obedience through the power of your 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?
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matthew 3:7-10
Yielding Prayer
Father, I yield my excuses to you. I do not want to hide behind knowledge, tradition, reputation, or outward appearance. Make my repentance real, and let my life bear fruit that honors Jesus.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Philippians 1…
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6
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