Week: Authentic Prayer
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 God, we look forward to discovering more of Your wisdom in the Old Testament. Show us the way You want us to live, and help us to walk in Your ways today.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Jackson R
1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
Pray continually, and give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we are reflecting on another Psalm, which is written as a prayer for someone else.
Read by Jackson R
Psalm 20:1-5
May the Lord answer you in times of trouble.
May the God of Jacob protect you.
May he send you help from his Temple
and support you from Mount Zion…
and we will shout for joy when you succeed,
and we will raise a flag in the name of our God.
Psalm 20:1-5a (NCV)
Throughout this week, we’ve been exploring the Psalms for the different ways that we can pray. We’ve learned that prayer isn’t simply about asking God for things, but that it begins with a deep longing to simply be with God. We’ve learned that we can ask God for help, and that we can express our gratitude and all of our other feelings too – even the sad or the bad ones. God is OK with all of it.
Today’s Psalm reveals one more way to pray – praying for others. This kind of prayer is known as ‘intercession’, which literally means ‘go-between’. When we ‘intercede’ for others, it’s like we’re going between them and God, praying and talking with God on their behalf for what they need.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: Other than God, who do we go to for help when we’re in trouble? What makes them a good person to go to?
Why don’t we close our eyes and be quiet for a moment. Let’s ASK God to put someone on our hearts who we can pray for – intercede for – over the next few days.
We might like to write their name onto a piece of paper or a small stone, keeping it in a pocket or next to our bed as a way to remind ourselves to keep praying for them.
Let’s get started by praying for them now, using some of the words from today’s Psalm.
Lord God, we pray on behalf of the person You’ve put on our heart. We ASK You to be with them, whatever trouble they are experiencing. We ASK You to protect them and help them to get the support that they need. And if there’s anything that we can do to support them, please show us.
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.
Psalm 20:1-5
May the Lord answer you in times of trouble.
May the God of Jacob protect you.
May he send you help from his Temple
and support you from Mount Zion…
and we will shout for joy when you succeed,
and we will raise a flag in the name of our God.
Psalm 20:1-5a (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Loving God, thank You for the wisdom that we’ve heard from Your Word this week. We say YES to walking the way that You want us to, by praying for others – by interceding for them.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
Pray continually, and give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for You in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 (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.
Unathi lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and 5 kids; and has a passion for seeing families thriving.
You’ll most likely find her homeschooling the tribe, reading, writing, or dreaming about the next DIY project.
She also loves good coffee, dark chocolate and hiking.
Jackson is 11 and lives with his younger brother and parents in Surrey. He loves pretty much all sport but his favourites are football, golf and jumping off high stuff into water! He enjoys gaming and is always ready to build something on Minecraft.
