Week: How to Pray...
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.
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.
When Jesus’ disciples saw when and how He prayed, they realised that something was missing in their own prayer lives, and so they asked Him to teach them. Today, we’re REFLECTING on how Jesus responded.
Read by Eli
Matthew 6:5-6
[Jesus said] ‘When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. They love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners and pray so people will see them. I tell you the truth, they already have their full reward. When you pray, you should go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father who cannot be seen. Your Father can see what is done in secret, and he will reward you.’
Matthew 6:5-6 (NCV)
We can pray in our heads or out loud. We can pray while we’re walking the dog in the morning or lying in bed at night. We can write our prayers in a journal or paint them on a canvas. We can pray in the shower, while we’re walking to school, or even on the toilet! Jesus simply wants us to find a time and place that works for us to pray and be with God.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What’s a special place for us – where do we like to go when we need time alone?
And now let’s ask God to help us and others.
Lord Jesus, we ASK You to help us to figure out what time and place will work well for us to pray and simply be with God.
In the list above, we mentioned praying on the way to school. There are groups of Christians all over the world who pray regularly for school communities, for God to bless the staff and pupils, filling the buildings with His presence.
Lord Jesus, we join our prayers with theirs today. As we name some of the schools that we know, we ASK You to bless them in every way.
Perhaps we could start to pray regularly for a school in our area?**
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 6:5-6
[Jesus said] ‘When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. They love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners and pray so people will see them. I tell you the truth, they already have their full reward. When you pray, you should go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father who cannot be seen. Your Father can see what is done in secret, and he will reward you.’
Matthew 6:5-6 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Father God, You made us the way we are. Some of us love to be creative, some prefer thinking quietly about things, and others prefer to be active. We say YES to using all these different ways to pray and be with You.
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/
** Those in the UK may be interested in Pray4Schools, https://www.prayforschools.org/
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.
