P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we come to Jesus asking him to make us not only hearers of his word, but doers who build our lives on 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, 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 18…
I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
Psalm 18:1-3
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Matthew 7:24-29
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?”
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Matthew 7:24-29
Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount by showing us two builders. Both hear his words, and both face storms, but only one house stands. The difference is obedience. We are not safe because we have heard the words of Jesus; we are safe when we build our lives on them. Storms will come, but a life founded on Christ will not fall. His authority is not merely something to admire; it is something to trust, obey, and build upon.
Lord, I ask that you teach me to build my house upon the rock in every facet of life.
Lord Jesus, revive us by making us doers of your word. Tear down every false foundation and rebuild our lives on your truth. Give us obedient hearts that trust your authority and follow your voice. When storms come, keep us steady because we are rooted in you.
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?
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Matthew 7:24-29
Yielding Prayer
Jesus, I yield my life to your words. I surrender the places where I have listened without obeying. Teach me to build my thoughts, desires, decisions, relationships, and future on you. Make me faithful in the hidden places so that my life stands firm when storms come.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Isaiah 26…
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
Isaiah 26:4
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