A Prayer About My Lovin’
And so we KNOW and RELY on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:16-19 Dear Lord Jesus… today I’m pondering my call to love well, all kinds of people in all kinds of situations. For as you have may very clear, to love others as you have loved us is THE mark of true discipleship (Jn. 13:34). I would despair of this notion if you didn’t love your Bride as you do, Jesus. We love you, and anybody, only because you first loved us.
Indeed, because of your great and grace-full love for us, all fear of the day of judgment has been removed from my heart. On the cross you became our judgment day. Now I neither have to fear dying nor fear living. You took the punishment I deserve for ALL my failures at loving well. How I praise you for such astonishing and atoning love! I neither have to take exception or make excuses for myself. Mine, now, is simply to KNOW and RELY on the love you have for me, Jesus.
So as I know and grow my awareness of your love for me, here is my plea… help me love well the members of my immediate family. At the same time they are the easiest and the hardest ones to love, day in and day out. Sometimes I think I have the greatest family on the earth, sometimes I think we’d trade one another in for a Diet Coke. Bring your kindness, compassion, patience and perseverance to bear, Lord Jesus. Help us to provoke one another to love and good deeds, and not just provoke one another!
Jesus, help me to love my friends well. Help me not to take my friends for granted, like I sometimes take the air I breath, the clothes I wear and the food I eat. Help me know how to give my friends feedback lovingly, and receive feedback non-defensively. Forgive me when I want friendship simply to be a mutual admiration society rather than a community of groaning, grace and growth.
Help to know how to love the irritating people in my life, those I try hard to avoid. Help me know how to love the foolish people in my life, the ones making destructive choices, the ones I am mad at right now. Help me know how to love the depressed and sad people in my life. I instinctively try to fix and make them happy, but I know that’s not really what they need from me. Help me to love the poor, the orphans and widows, the marginalized, “the least and the lost,” for among them, I will surely find you, Jesus.
Oh Jesus, my heart will say it again and again and again: I can KNOW and I can RELY on the love you have for me, as I am sent by you and accompanied by you, into all of these situations. I will seek to love as you love me, Jesus. I neither want to take exception nor make excuses for loving poorly. In your name I pray, Jesus. Amen.