P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we rejoice that the kingdom of heaven often begins small, yet grows by the unstoppable power of God.
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 72…
May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun!
May people be blessed in him,
all nations call him blessed!
Psalm 72:17
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 is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
Matthew 13:31-33
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 is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
Matthew 13:31-33
Jesus compares the kingdom to a mustard seed and leaven. Both seem small and unimpressive at first, yet both bring surprising growth and transformation. We are reminded that God often works in hidden, humble, and gradual ways. The kingdom does not need to appear impressive to be powerful. When Christ is at work, small seeds become shelter, and hidden leaven transforms the whole. We can trust God with small beginnings.
Lord, your kingdom is not of this world. I ask that you give me the eyes of your kingdom as I move about this life.
Lord, revive our faith in your quiet and powerful work. Teach us to value small seeds, hidden obedience, and slow growth. Let your kingdom expand in us and through us for the glory of Jesus.
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 is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
Matthew 13:31-33
Yielding Prayer
Lord, we yield our need for quick results and visible success. Help us obey you in small things, trusting that your kingdom grows by your power, not ours.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Luke 16…
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”
Luke 16:10
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