Week: Reflect/Reboot/New Year
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, please help us to be still. We open our ears to hear You now, quietly preparing our hearts for all that You have for us as we approach the new year.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Bella
Philippians 1:6
God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again.
Philippians 1:6 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on some of Paul’s instructions to the Christians in Colossae, which is in Turkey.
Read by Bella
Colossians 2:6-7
And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)
What would it feel like to ‘overflow with thankfulness’? What would happen if we made the most of every opportunity to express our gratitude – to say ‘thank you’ to others?
The author David Steindl-Rast believes that thankfulness doesn’t just make other people happy – it makes us happy too. ‘The root of joy,’ he writes, ‘is gratefulness… it is not only joy that makes us grateful, but gratitude that makes us joyful.’*
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: As we remember 2024 together, what are we thankful for? (We may need to remind each other about some of what we did!)
And now, let’s each choose one thing from 2024 that we want to thank God for. Let’s go round and each say our own simple, ‘Thank You God for…’ prayers.
Father God, we thank You for 2024. There were some difficult bits, but there were lots of good bits too, and we’re especially thankful for those. Thank You for being with us this year.
Let’s think of a couple of people who have helped us this year – people who have encouraged us and made us smile.
Father God, as we whisper their name to You now, we think about why we’re grateful for these special people. We ASK You to bless them today. And show us how we can express our thanks to 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.
Colossians 2:6-7
And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now let’s say YES to God together, using words that appear at the beginning and the end of Psalm 118:
Thank You for bringing us towards the end of another year – whether 2024 has been a good year or a difficult one, we give thanks to You, Lord, with all our hearts, because You are always good, and Your love for us never ends. (Psalm 118:1,29)
Some families write things that they’re grateful for onto pieces of paper every day, and then put them into a ‘gratitude jar’. At the end of each year, they open the jar and read all the things that they’ve written about. Perhaps our families could do something like this in 2025?
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Philippians 1:6
God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again.
Philippians 1:6 (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.
* David Steindl-Rast, Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer: An Approach to Life in Fullness (New York: Paulist Press, 1984), p.204
Chris lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two boys. He works for 24-7 Prayer Australia and Red Church and is also a professional musician. When he’s not working or drumming Chris enjoys going on long hikes in the mountains with his boys and playing table tennis.
Bella is 13 years old and lives in Buckinghamshire, England, with her mum, dad and cocker spaniel Summer. She loves art, performing and Jesus!
