Prayer Begins With Love
Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash
We love, because He first loved us. - 1 John 4:19
I love watching my daughter dance in our living room. Watching her dance to whatever our favorite silly song is that week makes my heart leap with delighting love. The love isn’t pity, mercy, or grace ... it’s delighting affection. My love for her is as careless as her dancing. It's a “just because,” unconditional kind of love.
This is where we have to start with God. God loved us first, and this love compels and empowers us to love Him back. We do not start the journey by loving God. We must begin by simply receiving God’s love. This time of prayer is about creating space in our lives to experience God’s love and respond to God’s love -- not to earn or attain God’s love for what is already settled. The scriptures teach us that God saw us at our worst and thought we were worth the price of His Son.
Imagine that!
Questions
→ Knowing that God loves you in that way, what do you feel?
→ What are your barriers (internal or external) to receiving that love?
Prayer
“Father, you love me so much that even when I was lost and had nothing to offer you, you sacrificed your only son so that you could be with me and I could be with you. Thank you for the blessing of not having to do anything to earn your love, that I can simply receive it ... what a gift! Father, show me how to surrender and accept your great love for me.”
Prayer Points
→ Adoration: Praise God that He is love.
→ Confession: Confess where you seek God’s unique love in other places.
→ Thanksgiving: Give thanks that Jesus has carried you into God’s love.
→ Supplication (Request): Ask the Spirit to give you a greater taste of God’s love.