Week: Who is the Holy Spirit?
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
Holy Spirit, thank you for the many ways you make yourself known. Our minds are open to learning more about You, and our hearts are open to knowing You better. We’re ready for You to speak to us.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Bea
Acts 2:38
Peter said to them, ‘Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’
Acts 2:38 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today we’re REFLECTING on why the symbol of a dove is used for the Holy Spirit.
Read by Bea
Matthew 3:16-17
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water. Then heaven opened, and he saw God’s Spirit coming down on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him.’
Matthew 3:16-17 (NCV)
In the Bible, doves usually represent purity or peace. For example, in the story of Noah, a dove returning to the ark with an olive branch in it’s beak showed that the flood was coming to an end. Finally, after all the devastation, new life was beginning, and peace was on the way.
In today’s passage, the Holy Spirit came as a dove, softly settling on Jesus to show that He had come to bring peace and new life for all of creation.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What’s the most amazing bird that we’ve ever seen?
Let’s close our eyes for a moment and imagine the Holy Spirit softly settling on us like a dove.
Holy Spirit, we ASK for Your peace to softly settle on our lives today, wherever and whenever we need it.
Around the world today, one quarter of the population live in warzones or places where there is no peace.*
Holy Spirit, we ASK You to be a shelter of protection and comfort to those who are afraid. Please bring healing and peace to quickly end these conflicts.
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 3:16-17
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water. Then heaven opened, and he saw God’s Spirit coming down on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him.’
Matthew 3:16-17 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Holy Spirit, we thank You that You bring peace like a dove into our lives, and into the world. We say YES to receiving Your peace, and YES to being carriers of Your peace wherever we are.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Acts 2:38
Peter said to them, ‘Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’
Acts 2:38 (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.
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.
