P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We end the week looking at one of the Apostle Paul’s famous passages about such were some of us.
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 approach this time with you fill my heart with hope that you are the God who makes all things new. You do not run from me when I am searching for you. I am seeking you now. Speak to me through your Word and renew my hope.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 34…
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Psalm 34:19-22
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
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?”
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Paul goes through this list and reminds us that such were some of us. That we were all stuck in our sins, but thanks be to Jesus that he washed, sanctified, and justified us in his name. Paul makes it clear that our past lives do not define us, but what Jesus says about us defines us.
Lord, I thank you for your mercy that found me where I was. You met me and washed me. I ask that you let me experience the wonder of your grace today.
Heavenly Father, we come before You with hearts yearning for Your presence. Revive us, O Lord, and breathe new life into our souls. Stir our spirits and awaken us to Your truth and love. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, igniting a passion for Your Word and a fervor to share Your grace. Restore our joy and renew our faith. May Your light shine through us, transforming our lives and our communities. Guide us, empower us, and use us for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
As I read the passage for the final time, I listen for 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?
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Yielding Prayer
Lord, you are the God who saves. You found me in sin and you did not leave me to figure it out on my own. You died so that I can have life. Remind me of how good you have been to me. Let me experience all the grace you have for me in this moment.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Romans 8…
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
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.
*The P.R.A.Y. acronym has been adapted from the Lectio 365 app.