P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today we come before the Lord with reverent confidence, choosing to fear him above every voice, threat, and pressure around us.
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, draw near to me by the power of your Word. Let your Holy Spirit fall on me and bring not only understanding but transformation.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 27…
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10:26-33
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?”
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10:26-33
Jesus commands his disciples not to fear people. What is hidden will be revealed, and the truth of his kingdom will not remain buried forever. We are not to fear those who can harm the body but cannot touch the soul. Instead, we live before the Father who sees, knows, values, and cares for us. Jesus says that even sparrows do not fall out of the Father’s will, and we are of more value than many sparrows. Because we are seen and loved by God, we can confess Christ openly and courageously.
Lord, I ask that you give me a Spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control.
Father, revive us with holy fear and deep assurance. Free us from the fear of man and fill us with confidence in your care, your knowledge, and your eternal worth.
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?
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10:26-33
Yielding Prayer
Lord, we yield our reputation, comfort, and fear of rejection to you. Give us courage to confess Christ before others and to live today as those who are fully known, fully seen, and fully loved by our Father.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Matthew 10…
Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Matthew 10:31
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