PAUSE

 PRAYERS ALONG THE WAY

Directions for use:

Step 1 - Choose an Opening Sentence

Step 2 - Choose one or more of the Prayers throughout the Day based on what time of day it is

Step 3 - Read the Concluding Prayers. 

(If, at any time, you’d like to read a Pause: thinking about the Bible study, do this after Step 2)

 Step 1 - Opening Sentences:

“O Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Let the whole earth stand in awe of Him.”

 and/or

“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go unto the house of the Lord.”

and/or

“God is love; and them that abide in love, abide in God, and God in them.”

 

Step 2 - Prayers throughout the Day:

Wake-up time: “We give thee hearty thanks, O heavenly Father, for the rest of the past night, and for the gift of a new day. Grant that we may so pass its hours in the perfect freedom of thy service, so that, at eventide, we may again give thanks unto thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Breakfast 1: “Fill our hearts, O God, with your Holy Spirit that we may go forth this day in peace and joy, serving you eagerly in all we do, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Breakfast 2: “O Lord, our heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who hast brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance, to do always that is righteous in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

During the day 1: “O Heavenly Father, in whom we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray thee so to guide and govern us by thy Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our daily life we may never forget thee, but remember that we are walking in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

During the day 2: “Almighty Saviour, who at midday didst call thy servant Paul to be an Apostle among the Gentiles: We beseech thee to illumine the world with the radiance of thy glory, that all nations may come and worship thee; who art, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.”

During the day 3: “Almighty God, who art afflicted in the afflictions of thy people: Regard with thy tender compassion those in anxiety and distress; bear their sorrows and their cares; supply all their manifold needs; and help both them and us to put our whole trust and confidence in thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

During the day 4: “Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles, “Peace I give to you; my own peace I leave with you.” Regard not our sins, but the faith of your Church, and give to us the peace and unity of that heavenly city, where with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, now and forever.”

 Supper 1: “O God, it is your will to hold both heaven and earth in a single peace. Let the design of your great love shine on the waste of our wraths and sorrows, and give peace to your Church, peace among nations, peace in our homes, and peace in our hearts; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Supper 2: “O Lord, support us all the day long of this troublous life, until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes, the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then, Lord, in thy mercy, grant us safe lodging, a holy rest, and peace at the last; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Supper 3: “Remain with us, Lord, for the day is far spent and evening is at hand. Kindle our hearts on our way that we may recognize you in the scriptures and the

breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake of your love. Amen.” 

Bedtime 1: “Almighty and everlasting God, the comfort of the sad and the strength of those who suffer, hear the prayers of your people who are in any trouble. Grant to everyone in distress mercy, relief, and refreshment; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Bedtime 2: “O Lord, who hast pity for all our weakness: Put away from us worry and every anxious fear, that, having ended the labours of the day as in thy sight, and committing our tasks, ourselves, and all we love into thy keeping, we may, now that night cometh, receive as from thee, thy priceless gift of sleep; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

(From here you may discuss some of the Pause: Thinking about the Bible questions for families or individuals, or you may simply complete the prayers.)

Step 3 – Concluding Prayers

 Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

 The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.

 

 

Directions for use:

Read the Bible Reading and Context

Discuss or contemplate the Study Questions with friends/family or on your own

(If you’d like, you may skip the questions)

Read the Final Thoughts and Prayer

Return to Concluding Prayers in Pause: Prayers along the Way

 

1 - “The Lord looks at the heart”

Bible Reading: “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

Context: These words were spoken by the prophet Samuel, whom God gave the job of anointing a new king. At first, Samuel expects that God will want him to anoint a big tough-looking man as king, but God tells him not to judge by the way people appear. God tells Samuel to anoint a certain young boy to be king. This boy would grow up to be the greatest king ever: King David of Jerusalem.

Study Questions

(Children) Have you ever heard the saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover?” What does that mean?

What’s more important about a person: the clothes they wear? Or what’s inside their heart?

How do you tell whether someone’s nice or not?

(Teens/adults) Is it easy or difficult to judge a good person from a selfish person?

How much should we care about our own appearance?

Do most people care about the truth or just appearances?

Without naming names, can you think of some people who value appearance over reality?

How accurate are your first impressions of people?

Short Story writer Alice Munro says that if you very carefully observe and describe the appearance of things, you understand what’s going on below the surface. Do you agree?

How is it possible to judge the heart instead of the appearance?

Advertizing is very important in our society. As consumers, how can we base our decisions on reality instead of appearances?

Why are appearances so appealing?

Final thoughts: It’s so much better to try to get to know someone and spend time with them before trying to judge their character. First impressions are important but sometimes very wrong. Placing appearance over reality has always been a real problem for us humans. But Christ himself, in the Gospel of John, says: “Stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgment.”

Prayer: O God, we thank you that you have given us the gifts of reason and thoughtfulness. Help us to use them well and often, so that we don’t go through our lives jumping to conclusions about everything. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

(Now return to the “Concluding Prayers”)

 

 

 

2-“Rest”

Bible Reading: “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” - Genesis 2:2

Context: After creating the heavens and the earth, God rested for a day. It may seem strange to us that God would take a break and rest, but that’s what he did.

Study Questions

(Children) Why do you think God took a day of rest after his work?

After you’ve worked hard on something, what do you do to rest and relax?

When do you work and when do you play?

(Teens/adults) How much time should you spend resting, and how much time should you spend working, in a normal day? In a normal week?

What happens when you work too much?

What happens when you rest too much?

Have you taken (or are you planning on taking) any time of rest today?

Do you personally work too much?

Do you personally rest too much?

How do you strike a balance?

          Final Thoughts: In a number of places, the bible teaches us about the value of hard work: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise” (Proverbs 6:6). The ant is a good example of a hard worker. If we don’t know how to work hard, we’ll never get anywhere in life. But even God himself took some time off and spent some time resting. If God himself took a break from his work, then we also should find some time to rest. But not too much…

          Prayer: “Heavenly Father, we thank you that you’ve taught us the importance of rest. Help us to find the right balance of rest and work in our lives, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Now return to the “Concluding Prayers”)