Welcome to Lectio for Families. We’re continuing to use content from Pete Greig’s and Gemma’s Hunt’s book, How to Pray: A Guide for Young Explorers*, to help us grow in prayer together.

As usual, 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

Our Father in heaven, we know that You are with us and that You want to talk with us – so we respond very simply by saying: ‘Here we are, we’re ready. Teach us how to pray.’

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 today on part of a letter in the Bible that Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, in Greece.

Read by Max
Ephesians 4:31-32
Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.
Ephesians 4:31-32 (NCV)

This feels kind of impossible, doesn’t it? When someone has done something that has hurt us, it can be really tough to even think about forgiving them. Sometimes it’s even like we’d prefer to stay angry with them. But staying angry with someone will often end up hurting us more than it does them – it definitely doesn’t do us any good.

Forgiveness is about letting go. Even if someone hasn’t asked for forgiveness, we can still forgive them; we can still let go of our hurts instead of holding onto them.

Paul says that we should be kind and loving towards each other. Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: When was the last time someone did something kind or loving for us?

• PAUSE the audio player now

Ask

ASK Prayers

Let’s close our eyes for a moment. Who has upset us? Who are we angry with? Let’s quietly ASK God to help us to let go of these feelings and forgive them.

• OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and pray

Can we think of anyone we have seen on the news or social media getting angry at each other?

Loving God, we ASK You to help people in these situations to let go of their angry feelings and forgive one another.

• 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.

Ephesians 4:31-32
Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.
Ephesians 4:31-32 (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.

Father God, we want to live like You made us to. We say YES to forgiving others, even when it’s tough. We say YES to coming to You for help, and not just holding on to our hurts.

Pause

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.

Content from today’s Lectio for Families is adapted from Pete Greig and Gemma Hunt’s book, ‘How to Pray: A Guide for Young Explorers’ (Hodder & Stoughton, 2022). Why not order your own copy? https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/how-to-pray-a-guide-for-young-explorers/