Week: How to Pray...
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
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.’
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Eli
Matthew 7:7
[Jesus said] Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7 (NIVUK)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on a couple of short verses from the end of Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessaloniki, in Greece.
Read by Eli
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)
For the last couple of days, we’ve been reflecting on two very important, easy-to-remember things about prayer. First, Keep it Simple – don’t make prayer complicated. Second, Keep it Real – be honest. And here’s the third thing; Keep it Up – pray regularly, every day if possible.
If we want to get physically fit, we need to develop some good physical habits, like regular exercise. It’s the same with our spiritual lives. If we want to get spiritually fit, we need to develop good spiritual habits, like praying regularly.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What are some good habits we have that we practise every day or at least once a week?
In today’s Bible verses, Paul says to ‘never stop praying.’
Father God, sometimes life can be so busy that we feel like we’ve got no time to pray. Sometimes we don’t get the answers that we want to our prayers, and then we give up praying altogether. Whatever the reason, we ASK You to give us the strength to keep praying; to Keep it Up.
Let’s be quiet for a moment as we think about those who may have given up praying for whatever reason – maybe they’ve given up on God altogether.
Father God, we ASK You to reach out to them today. Encourage and comfort them. Let them know that You are 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.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, like the disciples, we want You to teach us how to pray. But we know that there’s no quick fix, no easy way to do this. It takes time to learn good spiritual habits, so we say YES to the process, YES to Keeping it Up and not quitting.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Matthew 7:7
[Jesus said] Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7 (NIVUK)
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/
Joy lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and her dog. She works for Bridgetown Church where she leads kids as they grow, learn, and have lots of fun. Joy loves gardening, summer camp, eating ice cream, and reading her favourite books, The Chronicles of Narnia.
Eli is 11 and lives in Melbourne, Victoria with his mum, dad and two younger sisters. He enjoys music, reading, riding his skateboard and playing soccer.
