Week: Holy Spirit Adventures
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
Holy Spirit, like the disciples in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, we’re patiently waiting for You to fill us with Your power and with Your presence. We’re ready for You to send us on new adventures.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Jackson J
Romans 15:13
I pray that… your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
As Paul and Barnabas told people the good news about Jesus, the Holy Spirit proved what they were saying was true by doing amazing miracles through them. Today we’re REFLECTING on what happened when one of those miracles got a very strange reaction.
Read by Jackson J
Acts 14:8-11,14,15
In Lystra there sat a man who had been born crippled; he had never walked. As this man was listening to Paul speak, Paul looked straight at him and saw that he believed God could heal him. So he cried out, ‘Stand up on your feet!’ The man jumped up and began walking around. When the crowds saw what Paul did, they shouted… ‘The gods have become like humans and have come down to us!’ But the apostles ran among the people, shouting, ‘Friends, why are you doing these things? We are only human beings like you.’
Acts 14:8-11,14,15 (NCV)
Stories about superheroes have been around forever. In Paul and Barnabas’ time, there were stories about so-called ‘gods’; supernatural characters with powers like today’s comic-book heroes. Some of the crowd thought Paul had magic powers to heal people, but he didn’t. All Paul did was speak to the man – it was the Holy Spirit who did the healing.
God loves to work wonders through normal everyday people – people just like us. That doesn’t mean we should go around acting like we’ve got magical superpowers – but it does mean we can trust that God will sometimes can do incredible things when we pray.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: If we could choose one superpower right now, which would it be and why?
Paul and Barnabas didn’t try to show off for the crowd or make themselves seem important. They simply trusted God and gave all the credit – all the glory – to God when amazing things happened.
Loving God, we ASK you to help us be more like Paul and Barnabus. Help us not to be proud, where we only trust in ourselves. But help us to be humble instead, trusting in you and you alone.
Sometimes, our heroes let us down, whether they are celebrities or church leaders, family members or youth leaders. And when this happens, we can feel disappointed and hurt.
Loving God, we ASK you to be with anyone who is sad right now because someone they looked up to has let them down. Holy Spirit, please comfort them and help them to heal. Remind them that you will never let them down.
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.
Acts 14:8-11,14,15
In Lystra there sat a man who had been born crippled; he had never walked. As this man was listening to Paul speak, Paul looked straight at him and saw that he believed God could heal him. So he cried out, ‘Stand up on your feet!’ The man jumped up and began walking around. When the crowds saw what Paul did, they shouted… ‘The gods have become like humans and have come down to us!’ But the apostles ran among the people, shouting, ‘Friends, why are you doing these things? We are only human beings like you.’
Acts 14:8-11,14,15 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Holy Spirit, we say YES to going on adventures with You. We look forward to the extraordinary things that you are going to do in and through ordinary non-superheroes like us.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Romans 15:13
I pray that… your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 (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.
Jackson is 11 and he lives in Chichester, on the south coast of England, with his parents and his sister. He loves Pokemon (who doesn’t?), music and having fun with his friends.
