P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
For the first time, we see Abram question the Lord.
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, take me deeper into my relationship with you today. In a world full of distractions I ask that you pour out your Spirit on me now. Meet me where I am at, but don’t leave me here. Give me grace where grace is needed. Give me strength where obedience is needed. Hear my prayers and speak to me now.
I choose to rejoice, with all God’s people, in the powerful promise that God gives us in Psalm 23…
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
Psalm 23:2
As you read the passages below, ask the Lord to cause a word or phrase to stand out to you.
But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:2-6
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 Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:2-6
We see Abram and his true feelings here. He begins with, “O Lord God”. Some translations have him saying, “Sovereign Lord”. He is going to question the Lord, but he does so in such a way that still shows his trust in who God is. He comes with a complaint honestly, but reverently. He keeps hearing the promise of God, but every day he wakes up without an heir. Day after day, month after month, year after year he is stuck waiting. Waiting is difficult and oftentimes it reveals our hearts. God is not angry with Abram’s questions. In fact God’s response tells him how wonderful and miraculous it will be when he has an heir and the generations after that heir will number as the stars in heaven. Abram believes and God counts it to him as righteousness. This is huge. Abram has obeyed God and failed God. Abram has been faithful and faithless so far and God has still not brought righteousness into his life. It is in this belief that God counts him as righteous. That’s the gospel. Do we believe God? That is what it takes to enter the kingdom of God.
Lord, create hope and belief in me. Let me see how you walked with Abram in the moments of waiting and give me a heart that responds in faith. Show me what it looks like to believe even when my vision on this earth may be complex.
Oh, Lord, would you rend the heavens and come down? Meet with your people for a season of supernatural revival again. Pour out your Spirit. Set the captives free and bring faith to those who lack. Do not forsake us in our errors, but come again in power and glory.
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?
But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:2-6
Yielding Prayer
Lord, produce in me a faith that brings my complaints to your feet. Give me a trust that says I may be upset about this situation, but I’m not going to stop bringing it to God until he does something about it. Give me a heart that believes and brings me into your family of righteousness.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in Psalm 103…
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
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.
Psalm 103:8-12
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.