P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
How will Joseph respond to his false imprisonment?
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
We lift up our souls to you, O Lord. Help us to direct our full attention to you with undistracted devotion. Keep our hearts from being far from you as we draw near to you with our mouths and honour you with our lips. With humble boldness we enter the most holy of all places through the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way which he has consecrated for us through the veil, which is his torn flesh. Psa. 25:1; 1 Cor. 7:35; Matt . 15:8; Heb. 10:19, 20.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in The Sermon on the Mount…
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”.
Matthew 5:3,4
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
Genesis 39:21-23
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?”
But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
Genesis 39:21-23
The difference maker in Joseph’s life was not his circumstances, but it is the presence of God. Everything going on around Joseph doesn’t seem to add up, but the Bible makes it very clear that the Lord is with him in every season of his life. The favor of God is clearly on Joseph as well. Wherever he goes, he is put in charge, and it succeeds, because the Lord makes it succeed. That’s a different perspective to hold onto in our lives when everything around us seems wrong. God is doing something even if it doesn’t always feel good.
Lord, I ask for more of your presence. Meet me right where I am and show me the steadfast love and favor that you showed Joseph.
Lord, in this broken and evil world, would you bring revival? Our hope and prayer is for a supernatural season of your Holy Spirit’s empowered presence being poured out on us.
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?
But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
Genesis 39:21-23
Yielding Prayer
Lord, in the hard places, I obediently worship you. I remind myself that my circumstances don’t determine my favor with you. When all around me seems shaken, I cling to you.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Genesis 50…
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good
Genesis 50:20
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