Week: Prayer - Paul's prayer for us
Each day we will simply pray (P.R.A.Y.) together.
P: PAUSING to be still.
R: REJOICING with a Memory Verse and REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible.
A: ASKING God to help us and others.
Y: saying YES to God’s ways.
We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
Father God, as we draw near to You, please draw near to us too. Teach us to pray. Speak, Lord, we’re listening.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Eli
Ephesians 6:18
Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need.
Ephesians 6:18a (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we are REFLECTING on a letter that the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. Ephesus was an ancient Greek city located in present day Turkey.
Read by Eli
Ephesians 1:15-16
Since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks to God for you. I always remember you in my prayers.
Ephesians 1:15-16 (NCV)
Paul starts his long letter to the Ephesians by giving thanks. A simple ‘thank you’ to God in prayer shifts the focus off ourselves and onto God. And a ‘thank you’ for others reminds us that we often receive God’s kindness, goodness and love from other people too.
Paul starts his letter by thanking God for his friends in Ephesus. Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: Who are we thankful for? Let’s see if we can each name at least three people.
There are probably lots more than three people that we could each thank God for. People who love and care for us. People who teach us things. People who encourage us. People who are our friends in different places.
Father God, we thank You for every one of the amazing people You have put in our lives. We ASK You to give an extra bit of joy to the ones we mentioned.
Paul ‘heard’ about the Ephesians’ faith in Jesus and love for God’s people. Let’s take a moment to be thankful for anyone we know like this. For example, they could be a teacher, a missionary, a minister, an aid worker, or someone else.
Lord Jesus, we thank You for all of these people – people who have put their faith in You and have loved your people well. We ASK You to be near them today, send someone to encourage them and tell them ‘thank you’.
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.
Ephesians 1:15-16
Since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks to God for you. I always remember you in my prayers.
Ephesians 1:15-16 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Father God, we say YES to remembering to say thank You for all the amazing people You have put in our lives. We also say YES to thanking them for the way they have shown us Your goodness, kindness and love.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Ephesians 6:18
Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need.
Ephesians 6:18a (NCV)
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Unathi lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and 5 kids; and has a passion for seeing families thriving.
You’ll most likely find her homeschooling the tribe, reading, writing, or dreaming about the next DIY project.
She also loves good coffee, dark chocolate and hiking.
Eli is 11 and lives in Melbourne, Victoria with his mum, dad and two younger sisters. He enjoys music, reading, riding his skateboard and playing soccer.
