P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today, we remember that Jesus stands above everything and has reconciled us to God through the peace he made on the cross.
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, you are supreme over all things! You are the way, the truth, and the life. You are the Word in the flesh. I approach your throne in confidence knowing that your blood has covered me. Meet me in this time and fill me with your Spirit and bring transformation to my soul.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 103…
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
Psalm 103:11-13
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Colossians 1:18-20
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?”
And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Colossians 1:18-20
Jesus is the head of the church and deserves first place in everything. Through his death and resurrection, he has done what we could never do for ourselves: he has made peace between God and us. The cross reminds us that our relationship with God is not built on our performance but on Christ’s finished work. Because Jesus has reconciled us, we can approach God with confidence rather than fear. Together, we can live with gratitude knowing that the One who reigns over all things is also the One who gave himself to bring us near.
Lord, I ask that you show me what it looks like to make you preeminent in all things in my life!
Lord Jesus, revive your church by restoring you to the center of everything we are and everything we do. Fill us with wonder again at the peace you purchased for us through the cross.
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?
And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Colossians 1:18-20
Yielding Prayer
Jesus, I yield every part of my life to your authority. Be first in my thoughts, decisions, relationships, desires, and plans today.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Romans 5…
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1-2
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