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

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

We’re continuing to REFLECT on what happened after Peter and John had prayed for a man to be healed. The leaders of the courts were very unhappy.

Read by Selah
Acts 4: 8-10,13
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to [the leaders], “Are you asking us who made [the man] well? We want all of you and all the people to know that this man was made well by the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You crucified him, but God raised him from the dead. This man was crippled, but he is now well and able to stand here before you because of the power of Jesus. The leaders saw that Peter and John were not afraid to speak, and they understood that these men had no special training or education. So they were amazed.
Acts 4: 8-10,13 (NCV)

Peter and John had something exciting to share and they weren’t afraid to talk about it! Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter bravely stood up for what he believed, even though the court leaders went on to try and silence him from speaking about the healing power of Jesus. The court leaders were amazed at Peter and John – just two ordinary men who couldn’t have healed someone on their own. But there was no denying it, standing right before them was the healed man. It really was amazing.

Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: Can we set a timer for 30 seconds and talk non-stop about something that we’re excited about?

• PAUSE the audio player now

Ask

ASK Prayers

And now, let’s ASK God to help us, and others.

Lord God, we ASK for more of Your Holy Spirit to fill us with courage to talk about the good things that You do in our lives. May we be brave to share Your love and hope with those around us.

• OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and pray

In today’s Bible passage, the leaders of the courts couldn’t believe the truth even though it was right in front of them. Let’s pray for the leaders in our courts and legal systems, that they would see the truth in the situations in front of them and bring about justice.

God, we ASK that You would give them integrity – that they would be honest and act in a way that is true and good – help them to make the right decisions.

• 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 4: 8-10,13
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to [the leaders], “Are you asking us who made [the man] well? We want all of you and all the people to know that this man was made well by the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You crucified him, but God raised him from the dead. This man was crippled, but he is now well and able to stand here before you because of the power of Jesus. The leaders saw that Peter and John were not afraid to speak, and they understood that these men had no special training or education. So they were amazed.
Acts 4: 8-10,13 (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 want to stand up for You and the amazing things You do in us and through us. We say YES to being brave to speak the truth about the power of Jesus in our lives.

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.