Week: Mark's Gospel
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
Jesus, we hear You inviting us, and so we choose to follow You, with all our hearts, with all our minds, with all our souls and with all our strength.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Ruby
James 5:13
Anyone who is having troubles should pray. Anyone who is happy should sing praises.
James 5:13 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today we’re REFLECTING on the moment when Peter – one of Jesus’ closest friends – denied that he even knew Him.
Read by Ruby
Mark 14:66-68
While Peter was in the courtyard, a servant girl of the high priest came there. She saw Peter warming himself at the fire and looked closely at him.
Then she said, ‘You also were with Jesus, that man from Nazareth.’
But Peter said that he was never with Jesus. He said, ‘I don’t know or understand what you are talking about.’
Mark 14:66-68a (NCV)
Earlier in Mark 14, we can read about Peter swearing that even if everyone else turned away from Jesus, he wouldn’t. But as soon as the servant girl questioned him, Peter denied Jesus!
Peter was immediately upset with himself – he’d done exactly what he said he wouldn’t do. But let’s try and think how terrifying this situation must have been for him, and for the rest of Jesus’ disciples. The person they loved and had given up everything to follow had been arrested and was about to be killed – this was not how they’d hoped things were going to go.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: How do we think we might have felt if we’d been there with Jesus’ disciples?
Like Peter, we sometimes say things or do things that we said we wouldn’t (or know we shouldn’t).
Lord Jesus, we ASK for Your forgiveness. Help us to learn from our mistakes. Thank You for Your love and kindness towards us.
Peter probably felt like he’d messed everything up. But Jesus didn’t just forgive him, He actually trusted Peter to start the very first church.
Lord Jesus, we pray for those who feel like they’ve let You down and those who find it hard to believe that You will forgive them. Please remind them that You love them just as much as You loved Peter, and that You have a plan for their lives too.
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.
Mark 14:66-68
While Peter was in the courtyard, a servant girl of the high priest came there. She saw Peter warming himself at the fire and looked closely at him.
Then she said, ‘You also were with Jesus, that man from Nazareth.’
But Peter said that he was never with Jesus. He said, ‘I don’t know or understand what you are talking about.’
Mark 14:66-68a (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, like Peter we know we will make mistakes and we might even let You down sometimes. But we say YES, we know that Your love for us never changes – You will always forgive us and won’t give up on us.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Read by Ruby
James 5:13
Anyone who is having troubles should pray. Anyone who is happy should sing praises.
James 5:13 (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.
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.
Ruby is 12 and she lives in Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland with her family. Ruby is a gymnast who never sits still! She loves dogs (but her mum won’t get her one), she loves her friends and she’s always up for a laugh. Ruby would love to work with animals when she’s older.
