Welcome to Lectio for Families. We’re continuing to reflect on content from Pete Greig and Gemma’s Hunt’s  book, How to Pray: A Guide for Young Explorers*, to help us grow in prayer together.

As usual, 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.

Pause

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

Prayer of Welcome

Our Father in heaven, we know that You are with us and that You want to talk with us – so we respond very simply by saying: ‘Here we are, we’re ready. Teach us how to pray.’

Rejoice

Memory Verse

We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:

God, help us to remember Your Word.

Reflect

Bible Reading

Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. Today, we’re continuing to REFLECT on how he responded to their request

Read by Eli
Matthew 6:7-9
[Jesus said] The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply…
Matthew 6:7-9 (MSG)

We’re going to reflect on some easy-to-remember things about prayer, and here’s the first – Keep it Simple.

Some people make prayer seem so complicated and confusing. They pray super long prayers filled with clever words and we end up feeling like we could never pray like that – so we don’t try praying at all. But Jesus insists that there are no clever tricks to getting prayer right. It’s simply this; God loves us, so let’s just talk with Him.

Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What did we used to find really hard that now seems easy because we’ve learned how to do it?

• PAUSE the audio player now

Ask

ASK Prayers

And now, we ASK God to help us and others.

Father God, we’re grateful that You simply want to chat. You want to hear us talk about what’s been going on, and how we’re feeling. We ASK You to help us Keep it Simple when we pray.

• OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and pray

Let’s think about a few of our friends and what they might need, and pray some really simple prayers right now. Something like, ‘We pray for Sarah, help her not to worry.’ We could do this out loud or silently; it doesn’t matter. Let’s pray together now.

• OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and pray

Yes

Bible Reading

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 6:7-9
[Jesus said] The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply…
Matthew 6:7-9 (MSG)

What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?

• OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and tell each other

YES Prayer

And now, let’s say YES to God together.

Lord Jesus, we say YES to Your invitation to simply pray and be with God.

How about we give ourselves a bit of a challenge for the rest of this week – let’s see how often we can pause for 30-second ‘Keep It Simple’ prayer times.

Memory Verse

After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:

Closing Prayer

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.

Content from today’s Lectio for Families is adapted from Pete Greig and Gemma Hunt’s book, ‘How to Pray: A Guide for Young Explorers’ (Hodder & Stoughton, 2022). Why not order your own copy? https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/how-to-pray-a-guide-for-young-explorers/