P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
This week in the Hard Sayings of Jesus we come to the story of two desperate people who are in need, needs that only Jesus can meet.
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
Jesus, I come into your presence as one who is weary and heavy-burdened and I am looking for rest. The yoke of this world is too heavy for me to carry. Teach me and show me your humble and gentle heart at this time. Let me find the rest that my soul is looking for. Give me your yoke that is easy and your burden that is light.
*Adapted from Matthew 11:28-30
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 103:
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.
Psalm 103:6-14
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture in Luke 8:40-42, where we read:
40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.
Luke 8:40-42
This week we will meet two people that encounter Jesus. The first is a man named Jairus. Jairus would have been one of the most prominent men in the community. As a ruler of the synagogue, he would have held power, status, and respect. The synagogue was the social and spiritual center of life in the Jewish community. Jairus would have been a capable man with plenty of resources at his disposal. Jairus now faces a problem he can’t solve. His only daughter whom he loves is dying. You can imagine he tried everything he possibly could in order for this girl to survive, but none of them work. So he does what would have been shocking to those in attendance that day. As a member of the religious elite, this would have been a statement. Casually speaking Jesus did not find favor with the religious establishment that Jairus was a part of. Yet, this man in his desperate love to save his daughter takes a chance on this man that he had heard so many things about. He doesn’t send a messenger or one of his servants he goes himself. The posture in which he encounters Jesus is important. This man humbled himself at the feet of Jesus and implored him to come to his house. He saw Jesus as his only chance. He didn’t let all the pressures and obstacles stop him. He had a need that only Jesus can fill.
Lord, I ask that you show me my need for you this week. I ask that you show me what humility looks like.
Lord, we join with the psalmists as we pray for revival (Psalm 85:4-9):
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
and put away your indignation toward us!
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;
but let them not turn back to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land.
As I read the passage again slowly, I listen for anything that You would say to me in it. Help me see how to position my life in order to yield to your word.
40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.
Luke 8:40-42
Yielding Prayer
Jesus, you are God and I am not. So often I take the role that only you can fill in my life. Lord, I have so many needs that I seek to suffice in my own power. Forgive me for forgetting that you are the God who provides for his people. Forgive me for my lack of prayers to you. I yield to you now in obedience. I come to your feet humbly asking for what only you can do in trust and expectation that your actions match your character.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Romans 8:11:
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
Romans 8:11
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.