P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We begin the week by being reminded about who is in control of everything in this life!
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
As I enter into your presence today I remind myself that you are the God who makes known to me the path of life. In you, there is fullness of joy and at your right hand, there are pleasures forevermore. With that reminder, I ask that you meet with me now.
*Adapted from Psalm 16:11
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 96:
Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Psalm 96:1-6
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture in Matthew 10:26-33 where we read:
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10:26-33
Jesus knows what is coming for him and what is about to happen to his body in the near future. He knows that men who have power will use it against him and likewise, those who follow Jesus. So what encouragement does Jesus give us? He tells us not to fear, which is difficult. That there are those who can destroy the life and the body on this earth, but there is someone far greater. Someone who holds our souls and eternal destinies. What does that God say to us? When we are his children he knows the unknowable about us and he cares for us. If God is in control of the lives of pigeons, how much more valuable are you to him? We need not fear. We don’t fear because our circumstances get better or power shifts. We do not fear because God is in control.
Lord, give me a trust in who you are. That in spite of what I see or what is going on in the world around me you can be trusted with it all and I need not fear.
1) What do I learn about God from this passage?
2) Where do I derive my value from?
3) Where am I currently holding onto fear in my life?
4) How can I trust God with my fears today?
5) What does it look like for me to deny Jesus before men?
Jesus, revive our hearts. You have come to give your people abundant life. An abundant life that can only come from you. Break us of our desires for this earth that promise to satisfy us, but leave us empty inside. Give us a spirit of repentance to turn from the ways of this world and come back into union with you. In our brokenness would you fill us mightily with your Spirit? May all the glory and praise belong to you.
As I read the passage again slowly, I listen for anything that You would say to me in it. Help me see how to position my life in order to yield to your word.
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10:26-33
Yielding Prayer
Lord, give me the strength to obey your Words. There are so many situations and things in this world that fill me with great fear, let me not turn to that fear. Let me trust that you are the God who loves me and is in control. You watch over the sparrows and you are watching over me and I need not fear.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Matthew 28:20:
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age
Matthew 28:20
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.