P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we follow Jesus as the one who does good with courage, compassion, and authority.
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 145…
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.
Psalm 145:8-9
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
He went on from there and entered their synagogue. And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
Matthew 12:9-14
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?”
He went on from there and entered their synagogue. And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
Matthew 12:9-14
Jesus enters the synagogue and sees a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees are looking for a reason to accuse him, but Jesus is looking with compassion. He asks whether it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath, then heals the man completely. This passage shows us that Jesus values people more than religious traps, compassion more than criticism, and restoration more than reputation. Yet his goodness also provokes opposition. As his followers, we should not be surprised when doing what is right brings resistance. We are called to obey anyway.
Lord, give me the faith to obey you even when there are consequences.
Lord Jesus, revive our courage and compassion. Open our eyes to those who are hurting, overlooked, or pushed aside. Make us willing to do good in your name, even when it is inconvenient or costly.
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?
He went on from there and entered their synagogue. And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
Matthew 12:9-14
Yielding Prayer
Lord, we yield our fear of people and our desire for comfort to you. Teach us to obey with compassion, speak with courage, and act with mercy wherever you lead us today.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in 2 Thessalonians 3…
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
2 Thessalonians 3:16
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