Week: Holy Spirit Adventures
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
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.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Annika
Romans 8:15
The Spirit we received does not make us slaves again to fear; it makes us children of God. With that Spirit we cry out, ‘Father.’
Romans 8:15 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today we’re REFLECTING on a letter that the Roman Commander, Claudius Lysius, wrote to Governor Felix about Paul.
Read by Annika
Acts 23:27-30,35
[Claudius wrote] ‘Some of the Jews had taken this man and planned to kill him. But I learned that he is a Roman citizen, so I went with my soldiers and saved him. I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him before their council meeting. I learned that these people said Paul did some things that were wrong by their own laws, but no charge was worthy of jail or death. When I was told that some of them were planning to kill Paul, I sent him to you at once.’
Then the governor gave orders for Paul to be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.
Acts 23:27-30,35 (NCV)
The Jewish leaders wanted to get rid of Paul – they wanted to kill him because he was telling people that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead and that he was God’s Son.
But when the Roman Commander realised that Paul was a Roman citizen, and that he hadn’t actually committed any crimes, he decided to help Paul rather than punish him. So he wrote a letter and sent it with Paul to the Governor Felix, and Felix hid Paul in Herod’s palace.
Paul may have been surprised that the Roman Governor Felix helped to hide him from the Jewish leaders, but sometimes the most unexpected people can help us.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: Who has helped us with something recently? What was the situation? What did they do?
And now, let’s ASK God to help us and others.
Loving God, we ASK you to bless the people we’ve just been talking about. We’re grateful for their kindness and for the ways that they’ve helped us.
If we haven’t actually thanked these people in person, maybe that’s something we could do over the next couple of days.
Is there someone that we could help over the next couple of days too? Let’s pause for a moment and ASK the Holy Spirit to give us some ideas, and to put a person in our minds. Maybe it will be someone we don’t expect.
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 23:27-30,35
[Claudius wrote] ‘Some of the Jews had taken this man and planned to kill him. But I learned that he is a Roman citizen, so I went with my soldiers and saved him. I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him before their council meeting. I learned that these people said Paul did some things that were wrong by their own laws, but no charge was worthy of jail or death. When I was told that some of them were planning to kill Paul, I sent him to you at once.’
Then the governor gave orders for Paul to be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.
Acts 23:27-30,35 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Holy Spirit, we say YES to going on adventures with you. The Bible describes you as a Helper (John 14:16), and so as you fill every part of our lives, we say YES to being helpers too.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Romans 8:15
The Spirit we received does not make us slaves again to fear; it makes us children of God. With that Spirit we cry out, ‘Father.’
Romans 8:15 (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.
Chris lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two boys. He works for 24-7 Prayer Australia and Red Church and is also a professional musician. When he’s not working or drumming Chris enjoys going on long hikes in the mountains with his boys and playing table tennis.
Annika is 10 years old and lives in Melbourne, Australia with her parents and older brother and sister. Annika enjoys playing Cricket and Aussie Rules Football and loves going to watch her favourite team play football. Annika also learns the drums and enjoys making up her own beats!
