Week: Mark's Gospel
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
Jesus, we hear Your invitation, and so we choose to follow You, with all our hearts, with all our minds, with all our souls and with all our strength.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Jackson J
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ because he gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
In today’s story Jesus is on his way to help a little girl who is dying but he gets interrupted by someone else who needs His help.
Read by Jackson J
Mark 5:25-29,34 (NCV)
Mark 5:25-29,34
Among [the crowd] was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered very much from many doctors and had spent all the money she had, but instead of improving, she was getting worse. When the woman heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his coat. She thought, ‘If I can just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’ Instantly her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed from her disease. Jesus said to her, ‘Dear woman, you are made well because you believed. Go in peace; be healed of your disease.’
The woman in today’s story had suffered a lot. She’d suffered the physical pain of bleeding for 12 years and she’d spent all her money on medicine without getting any better. On top of this, the Jewish people believed that when a woman was bleeding she was ‘unclean’ (Leviticus 15:27), and so people had been avoiding being anywhere near her. She felt ashamed and very alone.
When the woman reached out and touched Jesus, she probably didn’t want Him to notice her. But when He did notice her, she was amazed at His response. Instead of rejecting her, Jesus welcomed her and she didn’t feel alone any more. Jesus healed her body, and He also healed her from the pain of being rejected for so long.
Mark writes that the woman spent all her money on medicine that didn’t help at all. Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What have we bought or spent money on that we wish we hadn’t!
And now we ask God to help us and others.
Loving Father, we ASK you to fill us with Your love and compassion. Help us to see people who may be struggling because they feel ashamed and alone, like the woman in today’s story. Give us courage to reach out to them in some way.
Sadly, there are lots of people who do feel ashamed and alone, either because of something about themselves or something that has happened to them.
Lord Jesus, we ask You to draw near to those who feel like this. Please give them the courage to reach out and touch You, just like the woman in this story. And may they too experience the power of Your love for them.
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.
Mark 5:25-29,34
Mark 5:25-29,34 (NCV)
Among [the crowd] was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered very much from many doctors and had spent all the money she had, but instead of improving, she was getting worse. When the woman heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his coat. She thought, ‘If I can just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’ Instantly her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed from her disease. Jesus said to her, ‘Dear woman, you are made well because you believed. Go in peace; be healed of your disease.’
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, You’re never too busy or too distracted when people are in need. We say YES to being more like You, and to whatever You have planned for us today.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ because he gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13 (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 he lives in Chichester, on the south coast of England, with his parents and his sister. He loves Pokemon (who doesn’t?), music and having fun with his friends.