Welcome to Lectio for Families. This week we are focusing on a couple of heroes in the Bible – their names were Abraham and Sarah and their lives were shaped by mission.

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

God of rescue and restoration, thank You for Your beautiful mission to save the whole world. Here we are, Lord. Fill us with Your Spirit, and send us so that we can join in with Your mission.

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

Today we’re REFLECTING on how Abraham’s wife, Sarah, reacted to God’s impossible promise.

Read by Jackson R
Genesis 18:10-14
Then the Lord said, ‘I will certainly return to you about this time a year from now. At that time your wife Sarah will have a son.’
Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were very old. Since Sarah was past the age when women normally have children, she laughed to herself, ‘My husband and I are too old to have a baby.’
Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, “I am too old to have a baby”? Is anything too hard for the Lord? No! I will return to you at the right time a year from now, and Sarah will have a son.’
Genesis 18:10-14 (NCV)

God’s promise seemed so impossible to Sarah that she just laughed. The idea of a woman her age having a baby was ridiculous! But that’s exactly what happened.

Abraham and Sarah had a son, and they called him Issac. Sometimes God does things that seem completely, ridiculously impossible.

Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: As we’re talking about laughter today, let’s tell one another the best joke that we can think of.

• PAUSE the audio player now

Ask

ASK Prayers

What impossible thing might God be asking us to trust Him for?

Loving God, we need Your help to trust You for the impossible things in our lives. And even when things don’t work out the way we’d hoped, or things are just harder than we feel we can bear, we ASK You to help us keep on trusting You.

• OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and pray

Let’s think of someone we might know who may be waiting for God to do something that seems really hard, or even impossible.

Loving God, we ASK You to be with them. Strengthen them and comfort them as they wait, and give them courage to keep on trusting You.

• 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.

Genesis 18:10-14
Then the Lord said, ‘I will certainly return to you about this time a year from now. At that time your wife Sarah will have a son.’
Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were very old. Since Sarah was past the age when women normally have children, she laughed to herself, ‘My husband and I are too old to have a baby.’
Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, “I am too old to have a baby”? Is anything too hard for the Lord? No! I will return to you at the right time a year from now, and Sarah will have a son.’
Genesis 18:10-14 (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.

Loving God, we say YES to trusting that You can do impossible things!

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.