Week: Voices of Advent
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
Lord Jesus, we’re looking forward to celebrating Your birth this Christmas. Help us to be still amongst all the planning and the preparations, to rest in Your presence and remember what and who we are celebrating.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Selah
Luke 1:46-47
Then Mary said, ‘My soul praises the Lord; my heart rejoices in God my Savior.’
Luke 1:46-47 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Mary was confused when the angel told her that she was going to have a baby. Today, we’re REFLECTING on what the angel said next, and how Mary responded.
Read by Selah
Luke 1:35-38
The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth, your relative, is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.’ ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her.’
Luke 1:35-38 (NCV)
How do we think Mary might have felt when the angel told her what was going to happen? Maybe… happy, nervous, probably a bit scared? Mary was young, she wasn’t yet married to Joseph, and she couldn’t understand how it was going to happen. Mary thought this was impossible but yet she still chose to trust God. Throughout the Bible, we can read stories about God doing incredible and impossible things in ordinary people’s lives to show the world His Great Love.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: If we could make one impossible thing possible, what would it be? Maybe it would be to meet a dinosaur, or to travel into the future, or something else?
As we think about the things that are happening in our lives at the moment, maybe there’s something that seems impossible – where might God be saying ‘trust me’?
Father God, even though we might feel a bit afraid, we choose to put our trust in You instead. We ASK you to give us faith, just like Mary, to believe that You can do anything and everything.
Let’s think about those who may be praying for something that feels impossible right now – people who are praying for a miracle. Let’s join our prayers with theirs.
Father God, we ASK You to give them comfort and strength as they wait on You. We join our prayers with theirs, and we ASK You to give them the miracle that they’re hoping for.
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.
Luke 1:35-38
The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth, your relative, is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.’ ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her.’
Luke 1:35-38 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Loving God, we thank You that You are the God of the impossible. There’s nothing You can’t do! And we thank You that You want to use us in special ways, just like You used Mary. Help us to trust You, even when we don’t understand everything.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Luke 1:46-47
Then Mary said, ‘My soul praises the Lord; my heart rejoices in God my Savior.’
Luke 1:46-47 (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.
Selah is 14 and she lives in the middle of The USA in Kansas City, with her parents, sisters and dogs. Selah loves adventures and plays (and watches) all kinds of sports. She also enjoys science and likes inventing and building things…especially if they help others in some way.
