Week: The Advent Voices - OT Prophecy
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
Lord Jesus, we are excited to be celebrating Your birth this Christmas. Amongst all the busyness of this season – all the planning and the preparations – please help us to pause and be still. We open our ears to hear You now, and we prepare our hearts to receive You once again.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Liliwyn
Isaiah 9:6
His name will be Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God,
Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6b (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on a passage from Matthew’s gospel where Jesus quotes something that Isaiah had prophesied about Him.
Read by Liliwyn
Matthew 4:15-16
‘Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali
along the sea,
beyond the Jordan River.
This is Galilee where the non-Jewish people live.
These people who live in darkness
will see a great light.
They live in a place covered with the shadows of death,
but a light will shine on them.’
Matthew 4:15-16 (NCV)
When Isaiah prophesied these words, the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali were under attack and being overrun by an enemy army. Through Isaiah, God reassured the people who lived there that He hadn’t forgotten them, and that He would shine a light in their darkness.
But God was also promising that He would shine a light in all darkness, not just in Zebulun and Naphtali. The light that Isaiah prophesied about wasn’t an actual light from the sky, but it was Jesus himself. Jesus would be the light of the world, for everyone in the world.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: When have we needed a torch? Where were we?
If possible, let’s make where we are darker by turning the lights off. Now, let’s turn our torches on and pray together.
Loving God, as we think about the things in our lives that feel a little bit dark at the moment, we ASK that You would shine Your light into our lives – shine Your light in us and through us.
There are places around the world today that are like Zebulun and Naphtali, under attack and being overrun by enemy armies.
Loving God, we pray for the people living in places like this today. We ASK You to shine Your light into their darkness and give them hope. We pray that peace would come in these places, especially this Christmastime.
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.
Matthew 4:15-16
‘Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali
along the sea,
beyond the Jordan River.
This is Galilee where the non-Jewish people live.
These people who live in darkness
will see a great light.
They live in a place covered with the shadows of death,
but a light will shine on them.’
Matthew 4:15-16 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, You truly are the Light of the World. We say YES to You being the light in our lives, too, and we say YES to following You everywhere.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Isaiah 9:6
His name will be Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God,
Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6b (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.
Phil lives close to a beach in the north of England with his wife, his daughters and his dogs. Phil works for 24-7 Prayer, mostly doing Lectio stuff, and helping to run Prayer Spaces in Schools. He runs a lot, usually for long distances. He likes curry, mountains, reading books and he still plays Pokemon Go.
Liliwyn is 16 and lives in Kansas City, USA, with her parents, sisters and dogs. She is a good friend and enjoys designing, music, traveling, math and watching American Football (especially the KC Chiefs).
