Welcome to Lectio for Families. This week we are continuing our series called Holy Spirit Adventures. We are reading and praying our way through the book of Acts, which is packed with stories about what the Holy Spirit did in and through Jesus’ followers.

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.

Pause

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

Prayer of Welcome

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.

Rejoice

Memory Verse

We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:

God, help us to remember Your Word.

Reflect

Bible Reading

Paul and his friends were tired after lots of travelling, so they stopped in Troas, which is modern-day Turkey, for a few days. One night, while they were in an upstairs room, Paul had been speaking to the believers about Jesus for a very long time when something terrible happened.

Read by Hubo
Acts 20:9-10,12
A young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window. As Paul continued talking, Eutychus was falling into a deep sleep. Finally, he went sound asleep and fell to the ground from the third floor. When they picked him up, he was dead. Paul went down to Eutychus, knelt down, and put his arms around him. He said, ‘Don’t worry. He is alive now.’ They took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
Acts 20:9-10,12 (NCV)

The room was probably hot and stuffy, and packed with people eager to hear what Paul had to say. And Paul had lots to say. He’d been talking for ages and poor Eutychus just couldn’t keep his eyes open. Maybe he’d tried everything to stay awake; pinching himself, or blinking quickly – but nothing worked. Eventually, he fell asleep and then tragically, toppled out of the third floor window.

When Paul reached Eutychus, it was too late – the young man was already dead. Can we imagine how terrible this must have been? But then something absolutely incredible happened. As Paul put his arms around the young man, the power of the Holy Spirit brought him back to life!

Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is; When have we been sooooo tired that we couldn’t stay awake any longer? What did we do to try and stay awake?

• PAUSE the audio player now

Ask

ASK Prayers

Maybe our difficulty isn’t that we can’t stay awake, like Eutychus. Maybe it’s that we can’t sleep because we’re anxious about something, or maybe we’ve been having bad dreams and so we’re fearful of falling asleep?

Father God, we ASK You to put Your arms around us, just like Paul put his arms around Eutychus. Give us peaceful sleep, free from worry.

• OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and pray

Some people suffer from a condition called insomnia, which means that they find it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep. And then there are other people who don’t get much sleep because they care for small children, or because they work extra jobs at nighttime as well as during the daytime.

Father God, we pray for all those who aren’t getting the sleep that they need, for whatever reason. We ASK You to give them the miracle of a good rest.

• OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and pray

Yes

Bible Reading

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 20:9-10,12
A young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window. As Paul continued talking, Eutychus was falling into a deep sleep. Finally, he went sound asleep and fell to the ground from the third floor. When they picked him up, he was dead. Paul went down to Eutychus, knelt down, and put his arms around him. He said, ‘Don’t worry. He is alive now.’ They took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
Acts 20:9-10,12 (NCV)

What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?

• OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and tell each other

YES Prayer

And now, let’s say YES to God together.

Holy Spirit, we say YES to going on adventures with You. We say YES to paying more attention to what You’re saying to us through our bodies so that we get the rest we need, when we need it.

Memory Verse

After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:

Closing Prayer

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.