Week: Me and God
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, You came to bring peace and healing, and because of You we can now be reconciled with God, with ourselves, with other people and with the whole world. We’re ready for You to restore our relationships a little bit more today.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Ruby
2 Corinthians 5:20
Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.
2 Corinthians 5:20b (MSG)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today we’re REFLECTING on a story that Jesus told about a father and his two sons. The younger son asked his father for money and then he left to live a wild, selfish life in a far-away city. He wasted the money, so the younger son got a job on a pig farm, where he had to eat the pig’s food. Let’s read what happened next:
Read by Ruby
Luke 15:17-23
When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.
Luke 15:17-22,23b (NIVUK)
The younger son didn’t expect to receive a warm welcome when he returned home. He’d treated his father badly and he’d made some big mistakes, so he was expecting his father to be angry with him – he hoped that he could get a job as a servant in his father’s house.
Imagine his surprise when his father came running towards him with open arms, weeping with joy, shouting, ‘He’s alive! He’s alive!’ Instead of receiving anger (which he probably deserved) his father welcomed him and threw a huge party for him.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: If we were planning a big party, who would we invite and what food would we serve?
And now, let’s ASK God to help us and others.
Father God, help us to remember that when we feel ashamed because we know we’ve made mistakes, You are always waiting for us with open arms, just like the father in today’s story.
Jesus told this story to help people understand that God isn’t distant and angry and waiting to tell us off when we say and do things wrong, but God is like a loving father who wants to bring us back together with Him – to be reconciled with Him.
Father God, we think especially about people who used to be Christians and used to go to church, but they’ve since left for some reason. We ASK You to speak with them. May they come to their senses, like the younger son in today’s story, and realise that You are waiting for them with open arms.
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.
Luke 15:17-23
When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.
Luke 15:17-22,23b (NIVUK)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Father God, we say YES to always running into Your open arms. Your love is greater than any mistakes we make or any shame that we feel.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
2 Corinthians 5:20
Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.
2 Corinthians 5:20b (MSG)
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.
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.
Ruby is 12 and she lives in Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland with her family. Ruby is a gymnast who never sits still! She loves dogs (but her mum won’t get her one), she loves her friends and she’s always up for a laugh. Ruby would love to work with animals when she’s older.
