Most of us will be thinking of some special people in our lives that we will want to express our love for this Valentines Day. We are aware that our love is imperfect and that as much as we care about people, sometimes it is hard to find ways to let them know how much we love them. Scripture assures us, “And so we know and rely on God’s love for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”(I John 4:16) When we pray, we are affirming and relying on God’s love for us. We can come freely to God in prayer because we can be absolutely confident that God loves us and welcomes us to bring every thought and every need to Him in prayer. We can also be absolutely confident that God will enable is to live in love and as a result to live in God and God in us. Today we are going to come to God in prayer thanking Him for His never ending love for us and we are also going to pray that God will expand the ways that we can live in love and as a result to experience living in God and God living in us. I have a friend who has recently become a Grandma. Her love for her little granddaughter is the most natural thing in the world. It flows out of her heart that is so full of love. The love that God places in our hearts for Him and for others is meant to flow out in just such a natural way. Proud Grandmas often have some pictures of their grandchildren that they are eager to show. My friend, each time I see her, has her latest pictures of her “little sweetheart.” God is love and He intends for our lives to have His love spilling over in generous ways to the people we encounter. What will be the outcome if we are praying to live in love and to live in God? This has the potential to impact all of our interactions with people. If we are going to pray for God to enhance the ways that His love is expressed through us, then we will need to expect some changes in our day to day lives. It is not intended that we pray and never change and never see anything around us change. Let’s pray with expectancy that we will discover new aspects of God’s love for us and that we will willingly be the means for others to be able to apprehend God’s love for them. Tomorrow, FEB. 10th at 1 pm is our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER and this can be a time set aside for praying for the abundance of God’s love to overflow through us.
Thank You God for the immensity of Your love for us. We want to take some time today to consider some of the ways that You have shown Your love for us, from the moment that we were given this gift of life. Thank You that You are the Source of love and that Your commitment to love us with an everlasting love is strong and unchanging. It is true that we can rely on Your love for us. There are many things that we cannot rely on so this truth of being able to rely on You and Your love touches us deeply. Thank You God for Your love for us revealed in your Word. Thank You God for Your love for us shown in the ways that You answer our prayers. Thank You for Your love displayed in nature. Thank You God for Your love shown in the relationships You have given to us and placed us in. God, we thank You for your forgiveness and how this reality displays Your love for us. Thank you God for Your comfort in times of sadness and loss that reassures of Your love for us. In the purpose that You give to our lives, we see Your love. In hope for tomorrow, we remain confident of Your love. In awareness, that You loving God, guide us through the most complicated of times, like right now, our experience of Your love is magnified. Thank You that Your love for us never wears out or runs out. With our hearts bursting with the evidence of Your love for us, we want to live in Your love and live in You every day. Please show us God what is necessary in our lives for our love to more closely reflect Your love. Please deal with what it is in each of us that causes blemishes to Your picture of love. Please rewrite the ways that we express Your love to capture the words and phrases that will best communicate your miraculous love to others through us. When we grow tried of the strain of trying to love as You love and dealing with the challenges of this world, please provide fresh reserves and fresh resolve to live Your love and to live in You. Please make our hearts sensitive to those who are hurting and who need to experience Your healing love through us. We pray our God that we will be grateful and find delight in living in Your love and living the evidence of Your love every day. Take our eyes off of ourselves so we can see clearly all those You want us to love with Your generous love. We can only love because you have first loved us and we never want to lose sight of You and Your unending love for us. We hold on to this truth that you God are love and everything about the truth and authenticity of love is to be found in you. We could gain the whole world, but if we don’t have love, it means nothing. We want you God to fill us with Your love and to give our love and our lives meaning. We bring this prayer to you in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.