Week: 3 Loves, 6 Practices
As always, 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, as we start this new year together, we remember that You are with us. Our minds are ready to learn more about You, our hearts are ready to receive more from You, and our hands are ready to do more for and with You. Come, Lord Jesus.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Jackson R
1 John 4:16
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:16 (NIV UK)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
At its most simple, prayer can be described as being with and talking with God. In today’s Bible passage, we’re REFLECTING on Jesus’ invitation to be with Him.
Read by Jackson R
John 15:4-5
[Jesus said] ‘Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch cannot produce fruit alone but must remain in the vine. In the same way, you cannot produce fruit alone but must remain in me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If [a person remains] in me and I remain in them, they produce much fruit. But without me they can do nothing.’
John 15:4-5 (NCV)
‘Remain in me, and I will remain in you,’ says Jesus. Another version of the Bible puts it like this: ‘Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you.’ (John 15:4a, MSG) It’s like Jesus is saying, ‘let’s love one another and be together!’ Which is what prayer is really all about.
The author, David Benner, says that ‘prayer is a relationship’ – ‘we do not need to be talking to God or even thinking about God to be in prayer. We can simply be with God.’*
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: How do we want to grow in prayer this year? What new ways of praying would we like to try?
Let’s close our eyes, place a hand on our chest, and think about these simple words as we pray them a few times for ourselves.
Jesus, You live in me… I choose to live in You.
Jesus, You live in me… I choose to live in You.
Jesus, You live in me… I choose to live in You.
As we start this new year, let’s think of a couple of friends and pray that they get to know Jesus too.
Lord Jesus, we pray for these friends. We really want them to know You – for You to live in them, and for them to live in You 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.
John 15:4-5
[Jesus said] ‘Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch cannot produce fruit alone but must remain in the vine. In the same way, you cannot produce fruit alone but must remain in me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If [a person remains] in me and I remain in them, they produce much fruit. But without me they can do nothing.’
John 15:4-5 (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 welcoming You into every part of our lives – come, live in us. And we say YES to living in You too, by loving You and following You every day.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
1 John 4:16
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:16 (NIV UK)
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.
* David G. Benner, Opening to God: Lectio Divina and Life as Prayer (Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 2010) p.21
Joy lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and her dog. She works for Bridgetown Church where she leads kids as they grow, learn, and have lots of fun. Joy loves gardening, summer camp, eating ice cream, and reading her favourite books, The Chronicles of Narnia.
Jackson is 11 and lives with his younger brother and parents in Surrey. He loves pretty much all sport but his favourites are football, golf and jumping off high stuff into water! He enjoys gaming and is always ready to build something on Minecraft.
