P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We look at a Psalm today and see what it means for us when we are thinking about the relationship between us and our kids.
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, you are the God over all of creation. You are the God who looks at the storm and tells it to be still and it obeys. I ask the same for my own soul now. Would you meet with me and make me still? With all of the storms swirling I sit at your feet and I desire and seek peace. Fill me with your Spirit at this moment.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 46…
Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Psalm 46:8-11
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
Psalm 78:1-4
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?”
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
Psalm 78:1-4
I think there are two counter-cultural lessons here for us today. The first is that this Psalm puts an emphasis on our kids hearing and learning from us. That as parents and as part of a multi-generational church can we honestly say that we are the primary discipler of our children’s hearts? It seems impossible in the culture we live in with smartphones, social media, and the internet, but is it something to fight for? The second is that what we tell them is of the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might and the wonders that he has done. There’s stuff to teach kids so that they can survive I get that, but how often are we as the older generation regaling them with the tales of the Lord? The ones we find in the Bible and the ones that we have personally experienced. What is beautiful and worthwhile to us will become beautiful and worthwhile to them, so tell them your story and how you got to where you are. And throughout all of it emphasize the glory of God through it all, and see what happens.
Lord, you are so good and your wonders are astounding. I ask that you give me the chance to show the next generation how great you are.
Lord, send us revival again. We are a broken and messed up people and we need a supernatural move of your Spirit in us. Let it begin in the Church and let it begin with repentance. We humble our hearts as we seek your face.
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?
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
Psalm 78:1-4
Yielding Prayer
Lord, you are the God who has done glorious deeds. Your might and wonders are unfathomable to my human mind. Forgive me for the way I have been so casual and quiet about you. In obedience, Lord let me not hide, but tell the coming generation about who you are. Give me an opportunity today to do what this Psalm tells me. Give me faith and give me courage.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Numbers 6…
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26
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.