Week: Jesus: Coming Again
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, as we spend these few minutes together, we open our eyes to see what You’re doing, our ears to hear what You’re saying, and our hearts to receive what You want to give to us today.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Jackson R
Revelation 22:13
[Jesus said] ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.’
Revelation 22:13 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on a few more verses from the vision that John had of Jesus while he was on the Greek island of Patmos.
Read by Jackson R
Revelation 22:17,20-21
The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who hears this say, ‘Come!’ Let whoever is thirsty come; whoever wishes may have the water of life as a free gift. Jesus, the One who says these things are true, says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
Revelation 22:17,20-21 (NCV)
If we invited a friend over and they said, ‘I’m coming soon,’ how long do we think they meant? An hour? A couple of hours? Later that day? In today’s Bible verses, which are from the very last page of the Bible, Jesus says, ‘I am coming soon.’ However, John wrote these words around 2000 years ago, which doesn’t feel very ‘soon’ at all! But then again, ‘soon’ to us and ‘soon’ to God are probably two very different things.
It might be soon, or it might be in another 100 years, but Jesus has promised that he will return. Jesus said that ‘no one knows when that day or time will be, not the angels in heaven… Only the Father knows.’ (Matthew 24:36, NCV) So, we just need to be patient.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What have we had to be patient about, or wait for, recently?
In John’s vision, the Holy Spirit and the Bride – that’s us, the Church – are saying ‘Come!’ It’s like we’re calling for Jesus to come.
Lord Jesus, we look forward to the day when You will come back, just like You promised. And so we join our prayers with the Holy Spirit as we say, Come, Lord Jesus.
Also in John’s vision, Jesus invites those who are thirsty to come and drink from the water of life. He doesn’t mean people who need a real drink, but people who need the real love of God to satisfy their longing and fill their lives.
Lord Jesus, thank You that the water of life – the love of God – is a ‘free gift’. People don’t have to do good things to earn God’s love, they just have to receive, to drink. We ASK You to be with those who need to receive God’s love today. Fill them up!
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.
Revelation 22:17,20-21
The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who hears this say, ‘Come!’ Let whoever is thirsty come; whoever wishes may have the water of life as a free gift. Jesus, the One who says these things are true, says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
Revelation 22:17,20-21 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, we’re watching and waiting patiently for You to come. And we’re also calling out to You… Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Revelation 22:13
[Jesus said] ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.’
Revelation 22:13 (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, daughter 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 lives with his younger brother and parents in Surrey. He loves pretty much all sport but his favourites are football, golf and jumping off high stuff into water! He enjoys gaming and is always ready to build something on Minecraft.
