P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we trust Jesus as the righteous King who sees clearly, judges perfectly, and patiently grows his kingdom.
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, give me eyes to see and ears to hear what you have for me today. By the power of your Holy Spirit meet with me in this time.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 37…
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
Psalm 37:6
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
Matthew 13:24-30
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?”
He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
Matthew 13:24-30
Jesus shows us that his kingdom is growing in a world where evil still remains. The wheat and weeds grow together for a time, but the harvest is coming. We are reminded that God’s patience is not weakness and his timing is not delay. We do not have to panic when evil seems present or powerful. We can trust the Lord of the harvest to separate what is false from what is true, and we can remain faithful as his people.
Lord, I trust you with all that exists in this world and that includes the evil that I see. You have not forgotten and you will bring justice.
Lord, revive our trust in your wisdom and justice. Help us not to lose heart when evil seems to grow around us. Strengthen us to remain faithful, patient, and fruitful until the day of your harvest.
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 put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
Matthew 13:24-30
Yielding Prayer
Lord, we yield our desire to control outcomes. Teach us to trust your timing, obey your word, and remain faithful in the field where you have planted us.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Galatians 6…
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9
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