Week: How to Pray...
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.
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
Our Father in heaven, we know that You are with us and that You want to talk with us – so we respond very simply by saying: ‘Here we are, we’re ready. Teach us how to pray.’
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Max
Psalm 145:18
The Lord is close to everyone who prays to him, to all who truly pray to him.
Psalm 145:18 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today we’re REFLECTING on the final thing God equips us with, described in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
Read by Max
Ephesians 6:17-18
And take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God’s people.
Ephesians 6:17b-18 (NCV)
The armour that Paul listed in the verses we read yesterday was all for protection – a helmet, a breastplate, a shield. But this final piece of armour is actually a weapon… not a big spear, or a grenade launcher, or the keys to a shiny new fighter jet! It’s the sword of the Spirit, which Paul says is God’s teaching in the Bible.
At first, this might not seem like the best kind of weapon. But let’s think about how we could use God’s teaching as a ‘weapon’? For example, what if we’re feeling far away from God – we could pray using this week’s memory verse to help fight those feelings, because God’s Word says that He is close to us!
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What other verses from the Bible can we think of that might be useful to us to fight off some negative thoughts and feelings?
And now, we ASK God to help us and others.
Lord Jesus, we ASK You to help us remember Your Word. Give us courage to speak out Your truth in difficult times.
The armour that Paul describes in his letter is the armour of a Roman soldier, designed to work best alongside others who are also wearing it. Who do we know that is having a tough time right now? How can we stand alongside them?
Let’s quietly pray our own prayers for them now.
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.
Ephesians 6:17-18
And take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God’s people.
Ephesians 6:17b-18 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s respond to Paul’s instructions as we say YES to God together.
Father God, we take up the sword of the Spirit – Your teaching – and we say YES to taking our stand in prayer.
Maybe we could start a display or a journal by printing the weekly memory verses from Lectio for Families to look back on to help us.
Pause
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Psalm 145:18
The Lord is close to everyone who prays to him, to all who truly pray to him.
Psalm 145:18 (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.
Content from today’s Lectio for Families is adapted from Pete Greig and Gemma Hunt’s book, ‘How to Pray: A Guide for Young Explorers’ (Hodder & Stoughton, 2022). Why not order your own copy? https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/how-to-pray-a-guide-for-young-explorers/
Unathi lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and 5 kids; and has a passion for seeing families thriving.
You’ll most likely find her homeschooling the tribe, reading, writing, or dreaming about the next DIY project.
She also loves good coffee, dark chocolate and hiking.
Max is 9 years old and lives in Melbourne, Australia with his older brother and mum and dad. He often rides his bike to school and enjoys being creative by drawing or building with Lego. Max is also learning how to play the electric guitar and loves turning it up loud!
