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

We’re REFLECTING on when Abram gets a new name and becomes Abraham.

Read by Jackson R
Genesis 17:1-5
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty. Obey me and do what is right. I will make an agreement between us, and I will make you the ancestor of many people.’
Then Abram bowed facedown on the ground. God said to him, ‘I am making my agreement with you: I will make you the father of many nations. I am changing your name from Abram to Abraham because I am making you a father of many nations.’
Genesis 17:1-5 (NCV)

Over the last few days, we’ve heard about the promises and the special purpose that God gave to Abram – that he was going to be part of God’s great plan for the world.

To make sure that Abram remembered all that God had said to him, God decided to change Abram’s name to Abraham, which means ‘father of many’.

Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: If we could pick a new name, even something fun, what would we like to be called?

• PAUSE the audio player now

Ask

ASK Prayers

The names that other people call us, and even the things we say about ourselves, can have a big impact on our lives. Sometimes people say mean things, and even though they’re not true, these words can hurt us anyway.

In the quiet, let’s ASK the Holy Spirit to whisper some good words or names to us – things that God says about us.

• OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and pray

Today’s verses begin with, ‘when Abraham was ninety-nine years old’ – that’s pretty old! Let’s think of an older person in our lives who we are especially grateful for.

Loving God, we thank You for the older people in our lives. We are thankful for the ways they have loved us, helped us and supported us. We ASK You to let them know just how much You love them.

Perhaps we know an older person who lives alone. What could we do this week to let them know they aren’t alone?

• 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 17:1-5
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty. Obey me and do what is right. I will make an agreement between us, and I will make you the ancestor of many people.’
Then Abram bowed facedown on the ground. God said to him, ‘I am making my agreement with you: I will make you the father of many nations. I am changing your name from Abram to Abraham because I am making you a father of many nations.’
Genesis 17:1-5 (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.

God of all truth, we say YES to listening to the things that You say about who we are, and the purpose that You have given us.

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.