P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we come to Jesus as weary people who need his gentleness, his wisdom, and his rest.
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, you are where I find life and find it abundantly. By the power of your Word, speak to me now. Show where I am in sin and need to repent. Show me how you are a God who loves me infinitely. Let me find my value and worth in you today.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 23…
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Psalm 23:1-3
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:25-30
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?”
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:25-30
Jesus praises the Father for revealing the truth of the kingdom not to the proud and self-sufficient, but to the humble and childlike. Then Jesus gives one of the most tender invitations in Scripture: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” We are not called to carry the weight of life alone. We are invited to come under the yoke of Jesus, to learn from his gentle and lowly heart, and to discover that obedience to him is not crushing but life-giving.
Lord, let me find rest in you.
Lord Jesus, revive us by drawing our weary hearts back to you. Deliver us from pride, hurry, and self-reliance. Teach us to receive your rest, walk in your ways, and live from the peace that only you can give.
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?
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:25-30
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I yield my burdens, striving, and control to you. I take your yoke upon me and ask you to teach me your way. Make my obedience joyful, humble, and full of trust.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Matthew 11…
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
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