P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Every child needs discipline.
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
Gracious Father, I come before you with a heart that longs to hear your voice. I lay aside the burdens and distractions of this day, asking you to quiet my spirit and open my eyes to your truth. Speak to me through your Word and let the Holy Spirit guide me in this time. I draw near to you trusting that you are drawing near to me. I ask that you would meet with me in this time.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 34…
I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
Psalm 34:1-3
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-4
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?”
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-4
Ephesians 6:1–4 paints a picture of harmony within the family that reflects God’s design. Children are called to honor and obey their parents as an act of obedience to the Lord, while parents—especially fathers—are commanded to raise their children with patience, guidance, and instruction in the ways of Christ. Paul balances authority with responsibility: children learn respect and trust, and parents model God’s love through nurturing discipline. When both roles are lived out in humility and faith, the family becomes a place where God’s Word is taught, his love is experienced, and his peace is displayed.
Lord, I ask that you show me what it looks like to love my children in the way that you have loved me.
Join us for Pray First, set your heart on God this week, asking Him to awaken a deeper longing for His presence.
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” John 4:34
Consider that Jesus found His fulfillment and satisfaction in a beautiful partnership with His Father, expressed through joyful obedience. How do you view obedience? Does the thought of it feel heavy or negative? If so, ask the Lord to reveal the root of that feeling. If necessary, confess wrong thinking and ask Him to renew your perspective.
Pray: Lord, help us as a people to discover the profound joy that comes from seeking and living in Your will.
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?
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-4
Yielding Prayer
Lord, you discipline me because you love me. I am never nearer to the vinedresser than I am when you prune me. Let me see and experience your love in that. Teach me what it looks like to not provoke my child to anger. Fill me with your Spirit and show me the discipline and instruction of the Lord that I need to pass on.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Isaiah 49…
Yet Jerusalem says, “The Lord has deserted us;
the Lord has forgotten us.”
“Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that were possible,
I would not forget you!
Isaiah 49:14-15
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.