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 continuing to REFLECT on the time when Jesus was tempted and challenged by the devil when He was really, really hungry.
Read by Asaph
Matthew 4:5-7
Then the devil led Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem and put him on a high place of the Temple. The devil said, ‘If you are the Son of God, jump down, because it is written in the Scriptures:
“He has put his angels in charge of you.
They will catch you in their hands
so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.”’ (Psalm 91:11–12)
Jesus answered him, ‘It also says in the Scriptures, “Do not test the Lord your God.”’
Matthew 4:5-7 (NCV)
The devil really wanted to try and trick Jesus. He even tried to use Scripture – verses from the Bible – to persuade Jesus to stop trusting in God.
We’ll never come face-to-face with the devil like Jesus did, but we probably will experience the devil’s tricks and challenges – the things he does to try and get us to stop trusting in God, but instead to doubt God. So, like Jesus, it’s good to try and remember some verses from the Bible that will encourage us and keep us trusting God when things feel difficult.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: Which verses from the Bible can we remember? Maybe we can remember one of our previous Lectio for Families Memory Verses?
And now, let’s ASK God to help us and others.
Father God, thank you for the Bible. As we pray every day, we ASK You again to help us remember Your Word – not just in our heads, but in our hearts – so that when things feel difficult, these verses can give us strength to keep following Jesus.
Even though the Bible is the most translated book in the world, there are still lots of people who don’t have a Bible in their own language.
Father God, we pray for Wycliffe Bible Translators, the Seed Company, and all the other organisations all around the world who are working hard to translate the Bible into new languages – give them all the resources that they need.
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 4:5-7
Then the devil led Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem and put him on a high place of the Temple. The devil said, ‘If you are the Son of God, jump down, because it is written in the Scriptures:
“He has put his angels in charge of you.
They will catch you in their hands
so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.”’ (Psalm 91:11–12)
Jesus answered him, ‘It also says in the Scriptures, “Do not test the Lord your God.”’
Matthew 4:5-7 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
In Psalm 119, David writes, ‘I have hidden your word in my heart.’ (Psalm 119:11a, NIVUK). Father God, we say YES to hiding and holding Your words in our hearts, to give us strength to keep following Jesus.
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 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!
