Week: Jesus in the Gospels
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 Asaph
John 15:9
[Jesus said] ‘I loved you as the Father loved me. Now remain in my love.’
John 15:9 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible that talk about the very beginning, when everything was created. And it says that Jesus was there!
Read by Asaph
John 1:1-5
In the beginning there was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made by him, and nothing was made without him. In him there was life, and that life was the light of all people. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.
John 1:1-5 (NCV)
In John’s gospel, he describes Jesus as ‘the Word’ – Jesus was ‘the Word’ that was there at the very beginning of Creation. He wasn’t there as a baby or even as a man, but He was there as a part of the Trinity – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – who were all involved in creating the universe and everything in it.
Later in this same chapter, John writes that, ‘the Word became human and lived among us’ (John 1:14a, NCV). Isn’t that incredible? God’s Son, who helped to create the heavens and the earth, became one of us – a human being – to live among us and to show us what God is really like.
Before God created the universe, there was absolutely nothing. Let’s close our eyes and try to imagine that for a moment. Now, let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: If we were there at the very beginning too, what would we want to create first?
And now, let’s ASK God to help us and others.
Lord Jesus, it’s hard to imagine what it was like for You to become human – to become one of us – but we’re so grateful. Thank you for coming to live among us – thank you for coming to live in our lives.
There are lots of religions around the world, and most of them describe all the difficult things that people need to try and do to get to god. In the Bible, we discover something very different – it tells us that Jesus came to us.
Father God, we pray for those who are searching and trying all sorts of things to ‘find god’. We ASK that they would discover the good news that Jesus already loves them and has already come to live with them.
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.
John 1:1-5
In the beginning there was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made by him, and nothing was made without him. In him there was life, and that life was the light of all people. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.
John 1:1-5 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Father God, You loved the world and everything in it so much that You sent Jesus to come and live among us – to live with us, and live in us. We say YES to You, Jesus. We open our hearts and our lives to You.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
John 15:9
[Jesus said] ‘I loved you as the Father loved me. Now remain in my love.’
John 15:9 (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.
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.
Asaph is 9 years old. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his younger sister Adelina, father and mother. He enjoys riding his bike, camping, reading, playing flag football and watching Bible Project videos. Asaph is kind and smart and loves hanging out with friends!
