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 a time when Jesus felt really hungry.
Read by Asaph
Matthew 4:1-4
Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Jesus fasted for forty days and nights. After this, he was very hungry. The devil came to Jesus to tempt him, saying, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become bread.’ Jesus answered, ‘It is written in the Scriptures, “A person lives not on bread alone, but by everything God says.”’
Matthew 4:1-4 (NCV)
Imagine how hungry we’d feel if we hadn’t eaten for 40 days and nights? The phrase ‘I’m starving’ might actually be a good way to describe how we’d feel!
When we’re really hungry we can get tired, distracted, maybe even a bit grumpy, and Jesus was probably feeling all of this when the devil came to tempt him to stop trusting in God. But even though it was difficult, Jesus knew that He needed God to really live – even more than He needed bread!
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: If we hadn’t eaten for 40 days and nights, what food do we think we’d be craving the most?
And now, let’s ASK God to help us and others.
Father God, when things aren’t going well in our lives, we sometimes get a bit tired, distracted and grumpy. And then we focus on these feelings instead of trusting You. We ASK You to help us focus on You instead – to trust that You are everything we need.
It is estimated that around 193 million people in more than 50 countries around the world don’t have enough food to eat, and this number is only predicted to grow.*
God of Justice, this isn’t right! There is more than enough food in the world for everyone to eat, but it isn’t shared equally. We ASK You to speak to the leaders in our nation and in other nations to do something about this.
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.
Matthew 4:1-4
Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Jesus fasted for forty days and nights. After this, he was very hungry. The devil came to Jesus to tempt him, saying, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become bread.’ Jesus answered, ‘It is written in the Scriptures, “A person lives not on bread alone, but by everything God says.”’
Matthew 4:1-4 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, You said, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’ (John 6:35, NIVUK) We say YES to coming to You, Jesus – You are everything we need.
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.
*https://www.concern.org.uk/news/hunger-2022-numbers-are-rising-funding-falling
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 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!
