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 another of Isaiah’s prophecies, which describes the kind of King that Jesus would be.
Read by Liliwyn
Isaiah 11:1-2,5,10
A new branch will grow
from a stump of a tree;
so a new king will come
from the family of Jesse.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon that king.
The Spirit will give him wisdom and understanding, guidance and power.
The Spirit will teach him to know and respect the Lord.
Goodness and fairness will give him strength,
like a belt around his waist. At that time the new king from the family of Jesse will stand as a banner for all peoples. The nations will come together around him, and the place where he lives will be filled with glory.
Isaiah 11:1-2,5,10 (NCV)
Have we ever seen a tree that’s been cut down and all that’s been left behind is a stump? The amazing thing is that a new tree can grow out of that stump. It might take a long time for the new tree to grow, but the tree can begin again.
That’s what Isaiah was talking about when he prophesied that ‘a new branch will grow’. Something new was going to grow from ‘the family of Jesse’, which was King David’s family. Samuel the prophet had already told David that his family and his kingdom would continue forever. And here in today’s verses, which were written a few hundred years later, Isaiah reassured the people of Israel that God hadn’t forgotten this promise. It would take another 700 years, but Isaiah’s prophecy would eventually be fulfilled when Jesus arrived – He was the new branch that would grow from the stump of David’s family line.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: How many different kinds of trees can we name?
In today’s passage, Isaiah says that the Holy Spirit gives wisdom, understanding, guidance, and power. Let’s pause for a moment… which of these do we need the most right now?
Holy Spirit, we ASK You for wisdom.
We ASK You for understanding.
We ASK You for guidance.
We ASK You for power and strength.
Thank You that You give all these things generously.
In today’s passage we’re told that God’s new king would be a banner, or a flag, for nations to gather around. Let’s each think of a nation, and if we’ve got time, let’s do a quick online search for its flag.
Lord God, we pray that people from each nation that we’re thinking about would come together around Jesus, as it says in today’s passage. We pray that You would fill these nations with Your goodness and Your glory.
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.
Isaiah 11:1-2,5,10
A new branch will grow
from a stump of a tree;
so a new king will come
from the family of Jesse.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon that king.
The Spirit will give him wisdom and understanding, guidance and power.
The Spirit will teach him to know and respect the Lord.
Goodness and fairness will give him strength,
like a belt around his waist. At that time the new king from the family of Jesse will stand as a banner for all peoples. The nations will come together around him, and the place where he lives will be filled with glory.
Isaiah 11:1-2,5,10 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, it’s Your Spirit that leads us and gives us wisdom and understanding. We say YES to trusting You and following You.
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).
