Week: Jesus in the Old Testament
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
Jesus, as we spend these few minutes together, we open our eyes to see what You’re doing, our ears to hear what You’re saying, and our hearts to receive what You want to give to us today.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Bea
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews 13:8 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today we’re REFLECTING on part of a poem written by David’s son, Solomon.
Read by Bea
Song of Solomon 2:10-13
My beloved spoke and said to me,
‘Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me.
See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.’
Song Of Solomon 2:10-13 (NIV)
The whole of the Song of Solomon is about a man and a woman who are in love. But it’s also a picture of Jesus and us. The poem describes Jesus’ love for us, His people. It’s not a soppy kind of love though – love that is here one moment then gone the next. It’s a deep, forever kind of love. It’s a love that will last a lifetime. In fact, in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus tells a parable in which He describes himself as a bridegroom, and he says that His people, the Church, are His bride.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: Have we ever seen or been to a wedding? What were our favourite bits?
And now, let’s ASK God to help us and others.
Lord Jesus, thank you that You love us and that You’ve chosen us to be Your bride. We ASK You to help us understand just how much You love us.
Some people find it hard to receive love, or even to talk about love, for all sorts of reasons.
Loving God, we ASK You to be especially close to all those who feel like this today – those who feel unloved and even unlovely. Reach out to them with Your unfailing, irresistible love… may they receive love from You, perhaps for the first time.
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.
Song of Solomon 2:10-13
My beloved spoke and said to me,
‘Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me.
See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.’
Song Of Solomon 2:10-13 (NIV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Father God, You so loved the world – and You so loved us too – that You sent Jesus. We say YES to receiving the deep, forever love that You give to us.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews 13:8 (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.
Chris lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two boys. He works for 24-7 Prayer Australia and Red Church and is also a professional musician. When he’s not working or drumming Chris enjoys going on long hikes in the mountains with his boys and playing table tennis.
Bea is 14 and she lives in Hampshire, in the UK, with her family. Her favourite football team is Manchester United, even though she lives a loooong way from Manchester. Bea likes horse riding and running, and when she’s older, she wants to become a vet, or a professional horse-rider.
