P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
God provides for Hagar and Ishmael.
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 humble heart, seeking Your presence. I thank You for Your endless love and grace, which sustain me each day. As I approach You now, I ask for Your light to guide my path, Your wisdom to shape my decisions, and Your peace to fill my heart. May I feel Your closeness and reflect Your goodness in all I do. In Your holy name, I pray. Amen.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 34…
I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
Psalm 34:1
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Genesis 21:15-21
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?”
When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Genesis 21:15-21
Though God commanded Abraham to listen to Sarah’s advice, it is important to realize that God is not indifferent towards them or what they are going through. The Lord shows compassion for Hagar and Ishmael. He rescues them. He supplies for their needs. He goes with them. He leads them to a new land. He makes Ishmael into a great nation. In that devastating moment that Hagar found herself in the Lord saw her and cared for her.
Lord, you are the great provider. I ask that you would provide for me in this life now.
Dear God, I come before you with a heart longing for revival. Renew my spirit and fill me with your love and strength. Remove any barriers that hinder my relationship with you and ignite a new passion within me for your Word and your ways. Let your presence transform my life and empower me to live out my faith boldly. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
As I read the passage for the final time, I listen for 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?
When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Genesis 21:15-21
Yielding Prayer
Lord, renew my trust in you from this story. Let me remember that you are the God who provides all things. Let me be obedient to you when I don’t have all the answers or when it seems like tragedy has taken its toll. Fill me with your Holy Spirit today.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Philippians 4…
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19
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.