Week: Prayer
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
Father God, as we draw near to You, please draw near to us too. Teach us to pray. Speak, Lord, we’re listening.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Hubo
Philippians 4:6
Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks.
Philippians 4:6 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on a couple of verses from Psalm 30, where David expresses thanks to God for saving and healing him.
Read by Hubo
Psalm 30:1-2
I will praise you, Lord,
because you rescued me.
You did not let my enemies laugh at me.
Lord, my God, I prayed to you,
and you healed me.
Psalm 30:1-2 (NCV)
Being a Christian doesn’t mean that things will always go well in our lives. Like everyone else, sometimes things go wrong and sometimes we suffer with sickness and diseases too.
In today’s Psalm, David was sick, he prayed to God and God healed him. If we’ve ever prayed for people who are sick or unwell, we’ll know that some are healed straight away like this, while others take a bit of time, and some don’t seem to get better at all. Jesus is especially close to us in these moments when we’re sad and even grieving, but He also encourages us to continue praying for people – to ‘always pray and never give up hope’ (Luke 18:1).
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: When has someone prayed for us when we were sick or unwell? Or when have we prayed for someone we know?
There are lots of names for God in the Bible and one of them is ‘Jehovah Rapha’, which means ‘I am the Lord who heals you’. (Exodus 15:26)
Loving God – Jehovah Rapha – as we think of someone we know who is suffering with sickness right now, we ASK you to heal them, please. Help them get better quickly.
And God, we also pray for all those who work in hospitals, clinics, surgeries and other places where people go when they are suffering and in pain. We ASK you to be with them. Give them strength when they feel tired, and supernatural skills to help sick people get better again.
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 30:1-2
I will praise you, Lord,
because you rescued me.
You did not let my enemies laugh at me.
Lord, my God, I prayed to you,
and you healed me.
Psalm 30:1-2 (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, You are Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals. Help us to always pray and never give up.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Philippians 4:6
Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks.
Philippians 4:6 (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.
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.
Hubolodumo (Hubo) is 10 years old, and lives In Johannesburg, South Africa with his parents and 4 siblings.
When he’s not busy trying out ninja moves, he’s practicing the latest dance moves, playing soccer, drawing or playing games with his friends.
