Welcome to Lectio for Families. This week we are focusing on a couple of heroes in the Bible – their names were Abraham and Sarah and their lives were shaped by mission.

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.

Pause

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

Prayer of Welcome

God of rescue and restoration, thank You for Your beautiful mission to save the whole world. Here we are, Lord. Fill us with Your Spirit, and send us so that we can join in with Your mission.

Rejoice

Memory Verse

We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:

God, help us to remember Your Word.

Reflect

Bible Reading

Abraham’s nephew was called Lot, and they both had lots of sheep and cattle and workers travelling with them. Some of their workers were arguing, so Abraham and Lot decided to say goodbye to each other and settle in different places.

Read by Jackson R
Genesis 13:14-17
After Lot left, the Lord said to Abram, ‘Look all around you – to the north and south and east and west. All this land that you see I will give to you and your descendants forever. I will make your descendants as many as the dust of the earth. If anyone could count the dust on the earth, he could count your people. Get up! Walk through all this land because I am now giving it to you.’
Genesis 13:14-17 (NCV)

God told Abraham to look around him – to look at the place where he was living – because God was giving it to him. God had a plan and a purpose for Abraham while he was living there.

Let’s think about the place where we live for a moment – the street, the neighbourhood, the town and all the shops and schools and other buildings in it. God has a plan and a purpose for us while we live here too.

Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What do we like about where we live?

• PAUSE the audio player now

Ask

ASK Prayers

Let’s imagine God saying to us what He said to Abraham. ‘Look all around you – to the north and south and east and west… all this I will give to you.’

Lord God, thank you for the place where we live. As we think about our street, our neighbourhood, our town and all the people in them, we ASK You to show us Your plan and Your purpose for us while we live here. What can we say or do that will make a difference?

• OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and pray

In today’s Bible passage, God tells Abraham to ‘get up’ and ‘walk through the land’. Perhaps we could ‘get up’ and go for a short walk together in our neighbourhood this week, and pray while we do it.

Let’s quietly ASK God where He wants us to ‘get up’ and go for our prayer-walk.

• OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and pray

Yes

Bible Reading

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.

Genesis 13:14-17
After Lot left, the Lord said to Abram, ‘Look all around you – to the north and south and east and west. All this land that you see I will give to you and your descendants forever. I will make your descendants as many as the dust of the earth. If anyone could count the dust on the earth, he could count your people. Get up! Walk through all this land because I am now giving it to you.’
Genesis 13:14-17 (NCV)

What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?

• OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and tell each other

YES Prayer

And now, let’s say YES to God together.

Lord God, the Earth and everything in it belongs to You… even our street, our neighbourhood, our town. We say YES to Your plans and purposes for where we live, and we say YES to whatever You want us to say or do too.

Memory Verse

After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:

Closing Prayer

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.