Week: Me and The World
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 Jackson J
Colossians 1:20
And through Christ, God has brought all things back to himself again – things on earth and things in heaven. God made peace through the blood of Christ’s death on the cross.
Colossians 1:20 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
We’re REFLECTING on a verse from the book of Isaiah, written about 600 years before Jesus was born, which describes what reconciliation in the world looks like.
Read by Jackson J
Isaiah 61:4
They will rebuild the old ruins and restore the places destroyed long ago.
They will repair the ruined cities that were destroyed for so long.
Isaiah 61:4 (NCV)
God never wanted things to go wrong in the world – He never wanted things to be broken. But now that they are, the good news is that God has not forgotten or given up on the world. We have a good reason to be hopeful, because the Bible says that God will restore, rebuild and repair everything – He is working to make all things new.
Today’s Bible verses give us hope that things will get better. Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question which is: What are we feeling hopeful about at the moment?
And now we ask God to help us and others.
Father God, we are so thankful You haven’t given up on us! As we give You the things in the world that we feel concerned or worried about, we ASK You to fill us with Your hope. Help us to trust that You are always working to heal and restore.
Let’s pray for churches around the world to restore, rebuild and repair their local communities.
Lord God, we pray for churches everywhere – give people courage to bring Your freedom, healing and justice to the places where they work and worship.
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.
Isaiah 61:4
They will rebuild the old ruins and restore the places destroyed long ago.
They will repair the ruined cities that were destroyed for so long.
Isaiah 61:4 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
The Bible says that those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31), and so we say YES, Lord, we put our hope in You. We ASK You to give us new strength to keep on working to restore the world around us.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Colossians 1:20
And through Christ, God has brought all things back to himself again – things on earth and things in heaven. God made peace through the blood of Christ’s death on the cross.
Colossians 1:20 (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.
Joy lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and her dog. She works for Bridgetown Church where she leads kids as they grow, learn, and have lots of fun. Joy loves gardening, summer camp, eating ice cream, and reading her favourite books, The Chronicles of Narnia.
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.
