P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We see the highs and lows of human life today through Peter.
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
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.
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 99:
The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy is he!
The King in his might loves justice.
You have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
Exalt the Lord our God;
worship at his footstool!
Holy is he!
Psalm 99:1-5
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture in Matthew 16:21-23 where we read:
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Matthew 16:21-23
Jesus begins to reveal what he came to do. He tells his disciples that he must be killed and raised on the third day. Peter who boldly claimed who Jesus was is upset by this. He steps up again, but this time he misses the mark. He not only doesn’t want this to happen, but he rebukes Jesus. Jesus doesn’t take kindly to this rebuke and calls Peter, Satan. Peter went from being given the keys to the kingdom to now being called Satan. What happened? Peter doesn’t fully understand what Jesus came to do. Jesus came to die so that we could have life. He didn’t come to overthrow Rome or any other occupation. He didn’t come to be king of this earth. He came to make man right with God. He came to lay down his fully human, yet fully God life so that we can be in a relationship with the Father again.
Lord, open my eyes to the things of God and not the things of man. Show me who you are.
1) Where do I see myself when I look at Peter?
2) Where am I focused on the things of man and not the things of God?
3) Where do I want Jesus to be something different than who he is?
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!
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.
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Matthew 16:21-23
Yielding Prayer
Lord, do not let me miss who you are. Let me obey you for who you are and not who I want you to be. You are the God who came to die so that I can have life. Fill me with your Spirit 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.