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.
We are REFLECTING on the last few verses of the prayer that Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus as recorded in Ephesians 1.
Read by Eli
Ephesians 1:21-23
God has put Christ over all rulers, authorities, powers, and kings, not only in this world but also in the next. God put everything under his power and made him the head over everything for the church, which is Christ’s body. The church is filled with Christ, and Christ fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 1:21-23 (NCV)
These verses are a bit difficult for us to fully understand, because Paul is trying to describe Jesus being above and beyond and in charge of everything. Our brains are only tiny, whereas what Paul is describing is HUGE! However, the important point is simply this… Jesus is the King over everything. He is in charge of absolutely everything in the whole Universe. Now and forever.
Jesus promises to be our friend, and it’s good to remember that He is close to us whenever we pray. But sometimes it’s good to remember that He is also King of the Universe – that nothing is impossible for Him.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: If we were King or Queen for a day (not of the Universe, just of our nation), what one new rule would we introduce?
And now let’s ASK God to help us and others.
Lord Jesus, we’re glad that You are in charge of everything. And You are in charge of our lives too. We ASK You to show more of Your power and love through our lives.
In the verses we’ve heard today, and later in chapter 3 as well, Paul prays for the Ephesian church to be filled with Jesus. When we allow Jesus to fill us and our churches, all sorts of powerful things can happen.
Lord Jesus, we ASK You to fill our churches. Not just our church meetings, but everything we do and everything we are. Fill our conversations. Fill all that we do at home and in school and at work. And we ASK You to pour out Your power in all these places too.
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 1:21-23
God has put Christ over all rulers, authorities, powers, and kings, not only in this world but also in the next. God put everything under his power and made him the head over everything for the church, which is Christ’s body. The church is filled with Christ, and Christ fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 1:21-23 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, we say YES to You being the King over everything – over the Universe, over our nation, over our church, and over our household too. You are our King.
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.
