[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign welcome to Bedtime Bible, a Westminster Kids Prayer Podcast. My name is Pastor Scott and I will lead you in a time to rest in God's presence in prayer, story and song as we prepare for sleep.
Dear God, we are here with you now.
Help our minds to grow calm, our hearts to open wide, and our bodies to find rest.
We know you are with us in this moment of stillness.
Amen.
I invite you to close your eyes, place your hands on your stomach and feel the breath moving into your body and then being slowly released.
Continue breathing slowly for a few moments.
Foreign Loving God, thank you for this day.
Some parts of our day were happy and some parts were hard.
In every moment you were with us.
Thank you for walking beside us when we laughed and when we cried, when we felt strong, when we felt tired.
We are grateful that nothing can separate us from your love.
Amen.
Our story today is entitled Sarah Laughs and It's from Genesis 18:1 15 and chapter 21 verses 1 to 17.
Sarah looked at the wrinkles on her hands and touched Abraham's gray beard.
They had waited many years, but still no baby.
We are very old and have no child, sarah told Abraham.
Did God forget about us?
God promised we would have a baby, said Abraham.
And God doesn't forget promises.
Sarah sighed.
She thought maybe God had forgotten this time.
Abraham wiped his sweaty forehead. He squinted across the desert.
Who are they? Abraham wondered.
Three strangers walked toward him.
Abraham bowed to the three men and invited them to stay.
Please stay to rest and eat, abraham told them.
Sarah, visitors are here, Abraham called.
Make some bread.
Abraham rushed to his herd so that he could prepare meat and and milk for them.
The visitors rested under a shade tree.
Abraham gave them water to wash their feet.
Sarah shuffled around inside the tent. She mixed and patted and knead the bread dough.
She listened to Abraham and the visitors.
Where is your wife, Sarah? One of the visitors asked.
She's making bread to eat, said Abraham, and the three visitors smiled.
Soon she will be feeding a baby.
Ha ha. Sarah laughed.
I'm too old for babies.
The visitors heard Sarah laughing.
Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? They asked her.
Finally, God did give Sarah and Abraham a baby, just as the visitors said.
Just as God promised, Sarah and Abraham named their son Isaac.
Let us pray.
Dear Lord, sometimes we can get frustrated because we pray and then we don't always hear right away how God is answering our prayer.
Maybe God forgot our prayers, but like Abraham, we know you never forget our prayers. Dear Lord, we know that sometimes your time and our time aren't the same.
Sometimes it takes longer than we want.
But let us trust in you and know that you always answer our prayers.
Just sometimes not the way or in the time we want, but we trust you in Jesus name.
Amen.
[00:05:54] Speaker B: Come thou fount of every blessing to my heart to sing thy grace Streams of mercy never ceasing Call for songs of loudest praise Teach me some melodious song sung by flaming tongues above Praise the mountain fixed upon it Mount of God's unchanging love oh to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be.
Let that grace now like a fetter Find my wandering heart to leave Prone to wander Lord, I feel it grown to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart O take and seal it, seal it for thy coats above.
[00:07:23] Speaker A: Gracious God, as the night falls and we close our eyes, bless our sleep with your peace.
Surround our family with your love.
Calm our thoughts and give us rest for tomorrow.
Keep us safe in your care now and always.
Amen.
Good night.
[00:07:55] Speaker C: Bedtime Bible is a podcast produced by Westminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines, Iowa.
Our story is read from the World Kids Story Bible published by Sparkhouse.
Narration is by Pastor Scott. Music and sound design is by Aaron Schultz.
For more content from Westminster, visit us on the
[email protected] God's peace, joy and love be with you today and every day. Good night and see you next time.
[00:08:28] Speaker A: Sam.
