P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today we look at the war between pride and humility in our lives.
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 to you now with a quiet heart, seeking your presence. Thank you for the gift of this new day and for the privilege to sit with your Word. Open my eyes to see truth, open my ears to hear your voice, and open my heart to receive what you desire to teach me. Cleanse me from distractions, forgive me where I’ve wandered, and draw me near by your Spirit. May this time with you shape my thoughts, renew my heart, and deepen my love for you.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 121…
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
Psalm 121:5-6
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
James 4:6-10
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:5-8
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?”
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
James 4:6-10
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:5-8
James gives us an invitation to come back to God with humility. Though we’ve all fallen into pride and worldliness, God offers more grace. But that grace comes to the humble, not the proud. These verses show us how: submit to God, resist the devil, draw near to him, and repent. God is not distant—He promises to draw near when we do. But this nearness comes through honest repentance, not casual religion. James calls for deep heart change: to grieve over sin, to stop making excuses, and to humble ourselves before the Lord. The beauty of this passage is in its ending promise: He will exalt you.
Lord, show me my pride and transform me. Give me a humility that follows after the life of Jesus.
Lord God, my heart has too often been drawn to the things of this world—its approval, its pleasures, its pride. Forgive me for loving what you call me to leave behind. Revive me, O God. Set my heart on fire for what is eternal. Make me holy, set apart, and fully yours. Teach me to resist the pull of the world and to walk in the power of your Spirit. Let my life reflect the beauty of Christ, so that I may live for your glory, not my own.
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?
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
James 4:6-10
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:5-8
Yielding Prayer
Gracious God, I thank you that you give more grace. I confess my pride and the ways I have resisted you. Today I choose to submit to you. I resist the lies and temptations of the enemy and turn my heart back to you. Draw near to me as I draw near to you. Cleanse my hands, purify my heart, and renew my spirit. Teach me to grieve what grieves you and to let go of the excuses that keep me from holiness. I humble myself before you now, trusting that you will exalt me in due time. I yield fully to You, Lord.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in 2 Corinthians 12…
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
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.