Week: Mark's Gospel
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, we hear You inviting us, and so we choose to follow You, with all our hearts, with all our minds, with all our souls and with all our strength.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Jackson J
Psalm 107:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures for ever.
Psalm 107:1 (NIV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
On the night before He died, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane with a few of His disciples. Today we’re REFLECTING on what Jesus prayed while He was there.
Read by Jackson J
Mark 14:35-36
After walking a little farther away from them, Jesus fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, he would not have this time of suffering. He prayed, ‘Abba, Father! You can do all things. Take away this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want.’
Mark 14:35-36 (NCV)
Jesus knew what was coming – He could see that He was going to suffer over the next few hours and then He would be killed – and He was deeply troubled by this. And so He prayed and asked God if there was an alternative, a different way to save the world and everything in it.
Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that although Jesus was God’s Son, He was also a human being, just like us, and so He felt all the emotions that we feel.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: How many different emotions or feelings can we think of? Let’s try and name as many as we can.
And now let’s ASK God to help us and others.
Father God, thank you that You are always with us in times of trouble, just like You were with Jesus in His. We ASK You to fill us with Your peace in these times.
A little later in this story, Jesus asked His disciples – His closest friends – to stay awake and pray, but they still fell asleep, twice! Let’s pray for our church community – that we will ‘wake up’ and pray more.
Lord God, we ASK You to wake us up! We want You to give our churches a passion for prayer. Teach us to pray, Lord.
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.
Mark 14:35-36
After walking a little farther away from them, Jesus fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, he would not have this time of suffering. He prayed, ‘Abba, Father! You can do all things. Take away this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want.’
Mark 14:35-36 (NCV)
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 trusting You and Your plans for our lives. Thank you that You are always with us, especially during the times when we really need You.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Psalm 107:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures for ever.
Psalm 107:1 (NIV)
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.
Unathi lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and 5 kids; and has a passion for seeing families thriving.
You’ll most likely find her homeschooling the tribe, reading, writing, or dreaming about the next DIY project.
She also loves good coffee, dark chocolate and hiking.
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.