P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we ask God to continue growing the fruit of the gospel in us as we understand his grace more deeply.
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, I desire the one necessary thing today; I desire to experience you. I choose the good portion that cannot be taken away from me. I draw near to you, take my anxieties and my troubles; I lay them at your feet.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 1…
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
Psalm 1:1-3
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
Colossians 1:6-8
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?”
which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
Colossians 1:6-8
Paul celebrates that the gospel was not only heard by the Colossians but was also bearing fruit among them. The gospel is not simply the message that begins our Christian life; it continues transforming us as we grow in our understanding of God’s grace. As that grace takes deeper root in us, it should increasingly shape the way we think, speak, serve, forgive, and love.
Lord, I ask that you grow the gospel deeper in me. Fill me with your love in the Holy Spirit.
Father, revive us through the truth of the gospel. Let your grace take deeper root in our hearts and produce fruit that points others to 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?
which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
Colossians 1:6-8
Yielding Prayer
Lord, we give you every part of our lives that still resists your transforming work. Shape our desires, attitudes, words, and actions so that we increasingly reflect Christ.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Philippians 1…
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6
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