P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Herod is a wicked and evil man seeking to maintain control and power at all costs.
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, in the midst of the indifference of this world, would you let my worship be true? Let me see you for who you are and let me see me as I truly am. Fill me with your Spirit and meet with me.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 34…
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Matthew 2:16-18
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?”
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Matthew 2:16-18
This is a heartbreaking passage. Herod’s rage leads to the slaughter of children in Bethlehem. Matthew connects this sorrow to Jeremiah’s picture of Rachel weeping for her children. The birth of Jesus does not mean the world is suddenly free from grief, evil, or injustice. In fact, the coming of the King exposes the darkness of human sin.
Yet this passage also reminds us that God does not ignore the cries of the suffering. He names the grief. He records the tears. And in Christ, he enters a world of violence, sorrow, and death in order to redeem it. Jesus came not into a sentimental world, but into the real world—the world that desperately needs saving.
Lord, when I look evil in the face, let me respond in a holy anger, but let me not forget that you are still the King on the throne.
Lord, revive compassion in your people. Make us tender toward the grieving, courageous against evil, and hopeful in the promise of your coming kingdom. Draw near to the brokenhearted and awaken us to the mercy of Christ.
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?
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Matthew 2:16-18
Yielding Prayer
Father, I yield my sorrow, confusion, and anger to you. Teach me to lament honestly, hope deeply, and obey faithfully in a broken world. Make me a person of compassion, courage, and trust in Jesus.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Psalm 34…
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:15-18
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