P.R.A.Y

PAUSE

REJOICE & REFLECT

ASK

YIELD

Personal Worship

We continue in our Hard Sayings Series and we come to an encounter with Jesus and his disciples at Caesarea Philippi.

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.

Pause

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

Creator God, you created me from the dust, and to dust, I shall return. As I enter into your presence would you breathe your life into me and reanimate me through your Spirit? Speak to me now.

Rejoice and Reflect

We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 98:

Oh sing to the Lord a new song,
    for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
    have worked salvation for him.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
    he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
    to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
    the salvation of our God.

Psalm 98:1-3

Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture in Matthew 16:13-14 where we read:

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Matthew 16:13-20

Jesus is going to ask his disciples a series of questions. The questions are important and the setting is important as well. Jesus asks them these questions at Caesarea Philippi, which was known for its worship of all kinds of gods. Their cliffside looked like this:

This is a reconstruction painting of what 1st century Caesarea Philippi would have looked like.

On the left, is the Temple of Augustus
Behind the Temple of Augustus, is the Grotto
To the right of the Temple of Augustus, is the Court of Pan and the Nymphs
In the middle, is the Temple of Zeus
To the right of the Temple of Zeus, is the Court of Nemesis
On the upper right, is the Tomb Temple of the Sacred Goats
On the bottom right, is the temple of Pan and the Dancing Goats

Looking at this cliffside or even just knowing that it was there was the backdrop for these questions. Jesus starts with an easier question because it is not about the disciples’ hearts yet. He begins with, “Who does everyone else say that I am?” And everyone around the disciples gets really close but doesn’t see Jesus for who he really is.

Ask

Lord, in a world where worship of all types of other gods is normal, show me who you are.

1) If I had to create a modern-day “Caesarea Philippi cliffside of worship” what would it look like? What people, things, and ideas would be included?
2) If Jesus asked me, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” How would I answer?

Our Father and our God, I come to you now to ask for revival in our nation. I pray that your Spirit would fall on your Church. Would you wake us from our slumber and free us from our love of this world? I ask that you would manifest yourself in a supernatural way in this season of time and draw all people to yourself. Come in such power and glory that we would know that this was of you and not the work of human hands. Hear the cry of my heart and respond oh Lord!

Yield

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.

Matthew 16:13-20

Yielding Prayer

Lord, as I live in a culture that wants me to worship anything and everything draw me to yourself. You are God and God alone, nothing compares to who you are. Let my heart follow and obey your Word in my life today.

Yielding Promise

And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Isaiah 41:10:

fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

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.