P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We come to the only competitive verse in all of Scripture today.
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, the longer I stare at the things of this world the more impossibilities come to rest in my heart. I’m holding onto more things today than I can manage so I invite you in. I lay it all down at your feet trusting that you can do far more than I can possibly do on my own. Meet with me now and fill me with your power.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Mark 10…
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
Mark 10:27
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Romans 12:10
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?”
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Romans 12:10
What a verse to chase after in this life. Paul speaks to the church in Rome and tells them what competition should look like in this life. As Christians, we seek to outdo one another not in jealousy or greed, but in showing honor.
Lord, I ask that you show me my heart today. Root out any competitiveness that is not based on honoring others. Show me what life looks like that loves and seeks to honor those around me.
My Father, how I desire to control my own life, and how often I live as if I do. Forgive me. As I consider all the things I try to build, my family, my career, my ministry, I recognize that without your establishment and blessing, all my work would be in vain. And so Lord, I come to you today with my “house.” Show me how to align everything in it to your will and desires. And now I ask you to build my life in the following ways…
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?
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Romans 12:10
Yielding Prayer
Lord, this verse is all-consuming and gives no caveats about who deserves the honor. Forgive me for my hardness of heart. Transform me by your Spirit that my life may be defined by love and honor.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Lamentations 3…
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
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.