Week: Mission
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
God of rescue and restoration, thank You for Your beautiful mission to save the whole world. Here we are, Lord. Fill us with Your Spirit, and send us so that we can join in with Your mission.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Annika
Matthew 24:14
The Good News about God’s kingdom will be preached in all the world, to every nation. Then the end will come.
Matthew 24:14 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on another Psalm that shows us something about God’s mission.
Read by Annika
Psalm 67:1-3
God, have mercy on us and bless us
and show us your kindness
so the world will learn your ways,
and all nations will learn that you can save.
God, the people should praise you;
all people should praise you.
Psalm 67:1-3 (NCV)
As we grow up, we learn all sorts of things. We learn how to tie our shoelaces and how to solve maths equations. We learn how to make our own beds and how to swim. If we’re lucky, we might learn how to juggle – juggling is fun. Or we might learn how to play an instrument, so we can join a band and become a rock star!
But nothing, absolutely nothing, is as important as learning that God loves us, that God wants to save us, and about how God invites us to follow Him. And we learn all of this by following God’s Son, Jesus, who came into the world to save us all.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What are we enjoying learning at the moment? If we can’t think of anything, what would we like to learn?
And now, let’s ASK God to help us and others.
Lord Jesus, help us to follow Your example. Help us to learn how You want us to live each and every day – by loving God, by loving others and by working with You to make things right in the world around us.
There are thousands of children and families all around the world who use Lectio for Families each week to learn more about God’s love, and about how to follow Jesus. As we pray for ourselves, let’s also pray for them.
Loving Father, we ASK You to use these simple devotions – the Memory verses and the prayers and the daily questions – to help children and families learn about Your love for them. May they immediately feel Your presence with them every time they open Lectio for Families and make time to pray together.
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.
Psalm 67:1-3
God, have mercy on us and bless us
and show us your kindness
so the world will learn your ways,
and all nations will learn that you can save.
God, the people should praise you;
all people should praise you.
Psalm 67:1-3 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Loving God, we say YES to learning more about Your love for us, and about how to follow Jesus each and every day.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Matthew 24:14
The Good News about God’s kingdom will be preached in all the world, to every nation. Then the end will come.
Matthew 24:14 (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.
Phil lives close to a beach in the north of England with his wife, his daughters and his dogs. Phil works for 24-7 Prayer, mostly doing Lectio stuff, and helping to run Prayer Spaces in Schools. He runs a lot, usually for long distances. He likes curry, mountains, reading books and he still plays Pokemon Go.
Annika is 10 years old and lives in Melbourne, Australia with her parents and older brother and sister. Annika enjoys playing Cricket and Aussie Rules Football and loves going to watch her favourite team play football. Annika also learns the drums and enjoys making up her own beats!