P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We briefly head into the Book of Proverbs today.
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
Heavenly Father, I come before you with a quiet heart, ready to hear your voice. Still, my thoughts, and help me focus on your presence. Speak through your Word today—correct me, comfort me, and shape me. I long to know you more and to walk in step with your Spirit. Thank you for inviting me near through Jesus. Here I am, Lord—ready to listen.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 19…
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:14
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Proverbs 18:21
A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1
Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Proverbs 16:24
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18
Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;
he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
Proverbs 13:3
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?”
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Proverbs 18:21
A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1
Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Proverbs 16:24
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18
Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;
he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
Proverbs 13:3
The Book of James is referred to a the Proverbs of the New Testament. James had serious thoughts on the power that our words have in this life and Proverbs says the very same thing. Proverbs is all about wisdom. Wisdom is skill in living. Wise living leads to life and foolishness leads to death and destruction. Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Lord, I ask that you give me wisdom when it comes to my speech. Convict me of my foolishness and transform me.
Lord God, revive our hearts and purify our lips. We confess that our words have too often wounded rather than healed, spoken pride instead of praise, and stirred division rather than peace. Renew in us a fear of you that changes how we speak—that our mouths would be fountains of grace, our tongues instruments of truth, and our conversations marked by love and wisdom. Holy Spirit, set a guard over our mouths and kindle a fire of revival that reaches even our everyday speech. Let the words of our mouths bring glory to Christ.
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?
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Proverbs 18:21
A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1
Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Proverbs 16:24
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18
Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;
he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
Proverbs 13:3
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I confess my words are not always wise, but oftentimes they are foolish. Forgive me. Show me that there is power in the way I speak to those around me. Meet me by the power of your Spirit and make me a force of wisdom and life to those around me when it comes to my speech.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Titus 3…
he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit
Titus 3:5
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.