P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
We begin a new series today based on Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton. Here at Rio, we desire to live lives that are fully awakened by the power of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual transformation is a necessary part of entering into that. We want to choose a way of life that opens us up to the presence of God where our truest desires and deepest longings are stirred. Over the course of the next 7 weeks, we want to study, meditate, and practice the habits and disciplines that shape us into Christians who are fully awakened by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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, as I enter into this time would you speak to me through your Word? I am here for you. Let me experience all that you have for me today.
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 100:
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100:1-5
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture in Mark 10, where we read:
And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
Mark 10:46-52
The blind beggar, Bartimaeus, hears that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by and he is not going to miss his chance. He cries out using the messianic title of Jesus because this man may have lacked physical sight, but he had more spiritual sight than the whole crowd that day. The noise of the crowd tries to drown him out, but he won’t let that happen and cries out again. Much to everyone’s surprise Jesus stops and calls him over. Jesus doesn’t have any lessons or teachings for this man, but he does have a question. A question that gets to the very depth of the longings and desires of Bartimaeus’ soul. Because if Jesus really is the Son of God who holds all authority in heaven and on earth this is not an opportunity to be squandered. Bartimaeus does not waste it and he gets what he most desires in this life, his physical sight.
The beauty of the Scriptures is that when we read stories that took place thousands of years ago we meet the same Jesus in those stories today. So today Jesus is asking us “What do you want me to do for you?” And the answer for each of us is found in our desires and longings.
Lord, I ask that you would put me in this story today. Let me experience you in the same way Bartimaeus did that day. What do you want to say to me?
Lord, you are the God who sees and knows all things and we ask that you hear our cries now. We cry out to you to bring about the supernatural spiritual awakening of your people. We ask that you would bring revival here at Rio, to the other churches in our community, to our city, and to our country. Begin first in us.
As I read the passage again slowly, I listen for anything that You would say to me in it. Help me see how to position my life in order to yield to your word.
And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
Mark 10:46-52
Yielding Prayer
Lord, what are you inviting me to do in response to this? I seek to obey and yield to all that you have for me. I want more of you and I need more of you. Let me trust that you are the God who can fulfill my deepest longings and desires.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Ephesians 3:
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:14-19
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.