Tuesday December 02nd

Hello and welcome to Bay Family Adventures, as we countdown until Christmas Day, we will be spending time thinking about the Christmas story and drawing near to God together. Each week we will look at a different theme and this week we will be thinking about hope.

Let’s 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.

Lord Jesus, we open our minds to learn new things, so that we know more about You. We open our hearts to be filled with Your love, so that we become more like You. And we open our hands to receive all we need to live our lives for You.

Father God, as we draw near to You, please draw near to us too. Teach us to pray. Speak, Lord, we’re listening.

God please help us remember our memory verse for this week:

Psalm 27:14 (NCV)

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord

Today we are reading a Psalm – which is like a song that’s found in the middle of the Bible - that talks about waiting for God and putting our hope in His word.

Psalm 130:5–6 (NCV)

I wait for the Lord to help me, and I trust His word.

I wait for the Lord to help me more than night watchmen wait for the dawn, more than night watchmen wait for the dawn.

Have you ever had to wait for something you were really excited about — maybe Christmas morning, your birthday, or a holiday? Waiting can be hard, and sometimes frustrating, but this Psalm reminds us that we can wait with hope because we trust in a God that always keeps His promises.

The job of a night watchmen during the time of King David, was to be awake and alert during the night, to help keep the people of that town or city safe. At dawn, when the sun came up, the potential danger was over and the night watchmen could rest with a big sigh of relief.

Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question which is: What’s something you’ve had to wait for? How did you feel when the waiting was over? Pause the player here.

And now let’s ask God to help us.

Father God, thank You that we can trust You while we wait. Help us to wait with hope and patience, knowing that You are always faithful.

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.

Psalm 130:5–6 (NCV)

I wait for the Lord to help me, and I trust His word.

I wait for the Lord to help me more than night watchmen wait for the dawn, more than night watchmen wait for the dawn.

What word or phrase stood out from today’s bible verses? Pause the player here.

And now let’s say yes to God.

Lord Jesus, we say yes to waiting with hope, knowing that You always keep Your promises. We say Yes to trusting in you – help us to grow in faith every day.

After enjoying this time together, lets’ say our memory verse one more time:

Psalm 27:14 (NCV)

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord

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.

Let’s point to our mouths.

Lord, please give us the right words and be encouraged to say them.

Amen.