P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we come to our Father with confidence, trusting that he hears us, welcomes us, and gives what is good.
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, as I enter into your Sermon on the Mount, would you soften my heart to what you have for me? Let my ears not just hear, but let my heart obey. Fill me with your Spirit.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 34…
I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:1
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:7-12
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?”
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:7-12
Jesus invites us to ask, seek, and knock because our Father is good. We do not come to God as strangers trying to convince him to care; we come as children welcomed by a loving Father. Jesus reminds us that if imperfect earthly parents know how to give good gifts, our heavenly Father gives even more faithfully and wisely. As we receive the Father’s kindness, we are also called to reflect his kindness by treating others as we would want to be treated.
Lord, I ask that you give me a faith that comes to you confidently as your child today.
Father, revive our hearts with fresh confidence in your goodness. Teach us to ask with faith, seek with perseverance, and knock with hope. Free us from prayerlessness, suspicion, and fear. Make us a people who trust your heart and reflect your generosity to the people around us.
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?
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:7-12
Yielding Prayer
Father, I yield my doubts and discouragement to you. I choose to come to you instead of carrying my needs alone. Teach me to ask, seek, and knock with trust. And as I receive your goodness, help me obey Jesus by showing others the same kindness, patience, and love I desire for myself.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Matthew 7…
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:11
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