A Prayer for Greater Love

Whenever I thumb through my old prayer journals, I notice a common theme. One prayer I pray the most. One thing I confess above others and one thing I ask for more than anything else . It’s not surprising really, since this prayer is related to God’s greatest command and what he created me to do.

What is that prayer?

For love.

I often find myself confessing to a lack of love, both for God and others. Sometimes I confess sins of idolatry—loving created things more than the Creator. Other times I confess not loving my family and others as I ought, being selfish with my time and energy, seeking my own wants and needs, complaining about my labors on behalf of others.

I also find myself asking the Lord to help me to love as he has loved me. To bear in me the fruit of love, through his Spirit. To love sacrificially, faithfully, and with humility. To love without expectation or condition. To love because he first loved me.

Perhaps you are familiar with such prayers. Here is one I wrote, asking the Lord for greater love.

A Prayer for Greater Love

Father in Heaven,

I come before you today humbled by your love for me. I read in my Bible from John 17:23 where it says that you love me as much as you love your Son. I paused to consider what that means. My finite mind faltered to grasp it. I just sat there overwhelmed and wonder-struck. You love me as much as you love your own Son? How can that be?

I thank you and praise you for your love for me in Christ. I thank you that before you spoke those words, “Let there be light,” you chose to love me. You set your heart on me. You decided to make me your own. I praise you because you are a God of love; John says you are love (1 John 4:16). Indeed, you’ve known love from all eternity; it’s what you’ve always shared within the Triune community. A love wherein each person of the God-head love, delight in, honor, treasure, and glorify the other. And you chose to share that love with your children whom you have created to love and worship you.

When I consider the love you have for me— when I look at the love poured out on me in Christ at the cross— all I can do is fall before you. Speechless. Humbled. Amazed.

Forgive me for not loving you with my whole heart. Forgive me for not loving my neighbor as myself. Forgive me for not forgiving others as I’ve been forgiven. Forgive me for being impatient and unkind. Forgive me for exalting myself and seeking my own glory and fame. Forgive me for not serving and giving and sacrificing for others.

Forgive me for the idols of my heart, for those things I look to in the hopes that they will give me what only you can give. Forgive me for treasuring things like comfort and pleasure, affirmation and adoration, success and work, family and fortune. Forgive me for setting them on the throne of my heart to worship.

I pray the roots of love would burrow deep in my heart and bring forth life. Help me to love with greater love. Help me to reflect and image you as I love others. Help me to radiate the love that lives within me through your Spirit to those around me. Help me to remove the idols of my heart and replace them with greater love for you. Help me to live out the love you’ve shown me in Christ in my thoughts, words, and deeds.

Your word says that love never fails. I thank you that even though my love for you falters and even though I flounder in my love for others, your love for me in Christ will never fail. It will endure to the end. Nothing can separate me from you.

Reshape my heart this day to love you and others. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

On Nehemiah and a Life of Prayer

I love reading prayers in the Bible. They show me the importance and power of prayer. They teach me things I can apply to my own prayer life. Certainly Jesus’ words on prayer in Matthew 6 have shaped the form and pattern of my own. I’ve also learned the heart of confession and thanksgiving from David. I’ve learned the importance of praying for eternal things over that of the temporary from the prayers of Paul. And I’ve read countless accounts of how God responded to the prayers of his people, reminding me of his faithfulness to answer my own.

Recently I’ve been reading through Nehemiah in my quiet time. He too was a man of prayer. When he learned that the gates of Jerusalem were broken and destroyed by fire, the Bible says “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4). He prayed to “the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments” (v. 5), beseeching God to hear his cry for help.

Nehemiah is a narrative, retelling the story of the exiles’ return to Jerusalem. While a narrative, it also reads like a memoir. What stands out to me throughout the book are the little prayers sandwiched between events in the story. They are squeezed in and easily overlooked in the context of the overall story. Yet these little prayers speak loudly to how prayer was such a significant part to Nehemiah’s life and faith.

For example, though Nehemiah had spent much time in prayer and fasting regarding the state of Jerusalem, when the king asked him what was bothering him and what he wanted, he paused for merely a second and prayed again, “Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven” (2:4). It took just a moment to seek God’s help. As Spurgeon said: “He had been asked a question by his sovereign. The proper thing you would suppose was to answer it. Not so. Before he answered he prayed to the God of heaven. I do not suppose the king noticed the pause. Probably the interval was not long enough to be noticed, but it was long enough for God to notice it— long enough for Nehemiah to have sought and have obtained guidance from God as to how to frame his answer to the king.” 

Such quick prayers are found throughout the book of Nehemiah. In the middle of the narrative about Sanballat and Tobiah the Ammonite taunting them as they labored to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, a prayer is interjected, “Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives” (4:4).

When Nehemiah recounts his generosity during this time, he again interrupts with a prayer, “Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people. Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people” (5:18-19).

When his enemies begin to spread false rumors about the work they are doing, Nehemiah recounts what he said to them, and then he prays: “Then I sent to him, saying, ‘No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.’ For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.’ But now, O God, strengthen my hands” (6:8-9).

Throughout the book, it is as though Nehemiah is simultaneously recounting the events that took place and having an ongoing conversation with God. While he certainly has specific times that he prays—as evidenced by the four months he spent praying and fasting for Jerusalem—he also prays quick prayers, what some might call “popcorn prayers.” This is what I want for my own prayer life. I want prayer to be infused into all that I do—for my thoughts to naturally turn to prayer all throughout the day. In the heat of the moment, when I don’t know what to say or do, I want to pray. When I feel a hard and painful emotion rise to the surface, I want to pray. When I hear bad news or drive by an accident or start to complain about a circumstance in my life, I want to stop and pray.

The brief prayers found in Nehemiah remind us that God hears us not just when we set aside specific times to pray each day (as Daniel did) but he also hears our prayers in the moment. It reminds us that we can pray with our eyes open, while driving, having a conversation, and as we go about our business. We can pray when faced with temptation, when our children exasperate us, and when we need God’s help. As Spurgeon said about Nehemiah’s prayers: “God does not hear us because of the length of our prayer, but because of the sincerity of it. Prayer is not to be measured by the yard, nor weighed by the pound. It is the might and force of it— the truth and reality of it— the energy and the intensity of it.” 

Let us be believers who pray, not just at set times, but all the time. Like Nehemiah, may our lives be infused with prayer—one long, ongoing conversation with our Savior.

A Prayer for a New School Year

It’s a new school year again. That means getting back into the routine of busy mornings rushing off to school, busy afternoons filled with homework, and busy evenings driving to sports and other activities. It means a return to worries about how our children are doing academically and socially. It means uncertainty about new classmates, new teachers, and new expectations.

A new school year also means opportunities for growth and maturity. Our children will learn new things. Their eyes will be opened to a greater understanding of the world and their place in it. They will have opportunities to practice what they learn and apply it to their life. They’ll have circumstances in which they can live out their faith and shine a light of truth. They’ll learn to glorify God in how they interact with teachers, friends, and those who are unkind. And as parents, we get the joy of watching that growth unfold throughout the year.

The best way to start off a new school year is with prayer. I recently participated in a prayer walk around my child’s school, praying for him, his teachers, his fellow students, and all they will learn this year. I brought my worries and concerns before the Lord, entrusting them into his sovereign care. I prayed for opportunities for my son’s growth and that he would mature academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.

As you consider the new school year for your children, turn to the Lord in prayer…to read the prayer I wrote for a new school year, visit For the Family, my writing home today.

A Prayer While Waiting

I often find myself in a place of waiting. I wait for the Lord to answer prayers for which I’ve long prayed. I wait for him to move in my life and in the life of others. I wait for wisdom to know what to do in particular circumstances. I wait for fruit to grow in ministries and relationships. I wait for dreams and hopes to finally come to fruition.

It’s easy to grow weary in waiting. I am often impatient. Sometimes my heart fills with worry and doubt. I may even begin to wonder if God has forgotten about me. That’s why the Psalms are an important book for those of us who wait. It shows us how to wait well. It shows us to turn to the Lord with all that is on our heart and cry out to him. In Psalm 13:1, he wrote, "How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?”

For all of us who wait, let us turn to the Lord in prayer.

A Prayer While Waiting

Father in Heaven,

I come before you with my heart filled with so many different thoughts and feelings. I am tense and uncertain about what I should be doing and where I should go. I feel weak and helpless. Powerless. I am worried about what happens next and whether I have the strength to handle it. Deep down I wonder, how long will I be here? Will I be stuck in this place of waiting forever? And why am I here to begin with? What's happening, Lord? But most of all, I wonder, where are you? Why haven't you responded to my cries for help?

But even as I pray that, I know you are right where you've always said you would be. You've never left me and you will never forsake me. You hear all my cries. In fact as David wrote in Psalm 139, you know my thoughts before I even think them. You know exactly what is happening in my life and what will happen next. All things are in your control and nothing can happen apart from your will. Not a sparrow falls to earth without your willing it to and you know the number of hairs on my head. You are never surprised. Even about this issue in my life today. You know why this is happening and will use it for your glory and my good.

Forgive me for how I have worried about this situation. Forgive me for doubting your love and care in my life. Forgive me for my discontentment as I wait for what happens next. Forgive me for being impatient. Forgive me for not seeking after you and for allowing these circumstances in my life to seem greater than your grace and goodness. Create in me a clean heart. Help me to see the counterfeit loves and idols in my heart. Help me to see all the things I cling to that I think will make my life happy and complete apart from you. Help me to repent and turn back to you, my one true love. 

As the prophet wrote in Lamentations, "It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord" (3:26). Help me to remember that it is good to wait for you. In this place of waiting, help me to remember all that you have done for me through Jesus Christ. Help me to remember that your grace is sufficient to not only save me from sin, but to sustain me each and every day. Your grace is at work in me right now, transforming me and making me more like your Son. Nothing can separate me from you. I am safe in your love. 

Help me to know more of the joy that comes from knowing you. Grant me joy in Jesus, joy in being your child, and joy in knowing that you are always with me. May I find hope in your word for as the psalmist wrote, "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope" (Psalm 130:5).

May I live for you even while I wait. Help me to obey and remain faithful, no matter how long I am in this place of waiting. 

In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Psalm 51 and A Prayer of Confession

If you’ve read here for even a short while, you likely know how much I love the Psalms. It’s a book I turn to time and time again. The Psalms mirror my heart in so many ways. They remind me of who God is and what he has done. They remind me where to turn when I need refuge. They remind me that God listens to and hears the deepest cries of my heart. And ultimately, they remind me of Jesus, the One who fulfills each of its 150 songs.

One favorite is David’s psalm where he confesses his sin to the Lord. I’ve learned much from David about confession from this and other psalms. He wrote Psalm 51 after the prophet, Nathan, confronted him for his sin with Bathsheba. The psalm is actually a lament, where David cried out to the Lord for forgiveness. He felt conviction for his sin, so much so, if felt to him like that of broken bones (Psalm 51:8).

David identified that his sin with Bathsheba was ultimately a sin against God (v. 4). He turned to the only One who could provide salvation. “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow… Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities… Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation” (vv. 7,9,14). He confessed his sin and sought the Lord’s forgiveness.

Whenever we identify sin in our lives, we need to confess it and receive God’s forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Confession involves honesty. We are honest with ourselves and with God. We freely admit what we’ve done. We don’t excuse it or blame others for it. We don’t call it less than it is. We also don’t merely confess our sin in broad strokes as in “Forgive me of all my sins.” We need to be specific about the sins we’ve committed, both those of commission and omission. In Psalm 32, David wrote, “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin” (v.5).

Such confession of sin requires humility. We have to humble ourselves before the Lord. We have to recognize that God is God and we are not. We have to rest and rely on his mercy and grace for us in Christ. God poured out his wrath on Christ, the wrath we deserved for sin. In Christ, we are forgiven, justified, and made righteous. In Christ, we know David’s cry has ultimately been fulfilled: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1).

David’s prayer of confession can shape our own prayers. May we too come before God in honesty and humility, resting in his love and mercy for us in Christ.

A Prayer of Confession

Father,

I come before you grieved and broken by conviction of sin. I feel the weight of that conviction pressing down on me. I agree with the psalmist that it feels like my bones have been crushed. I feel far from you and desire to return to the joy of in being in your presence.

Against you have I sinned. Every sin is a rejection of you as God. It is treason against the King of the universe. Forgive me for my wayward heart. Forgive me for turning to false loves and for seeking life apart from you. Forgive me for not loving others the way that you have loved me. Forgive me for violating your commands. Forgive me for pride and self-righteousness. Forgive me for not loving you with all my heart, mind, and soul.

Through the blood of Christ shed for me, I ask for forgiveness. I thank you that because of Christ, you look at me and see his blood covering my sin. You also see his righteousness; you see his holy life and credit it to me. And because of Jesus, I am united to his Spirit and he is at work in me. Holy Spirit, help me to turn from my sin. Help me to love you with all of my heart. I pray with the psalmist, “Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Cleanse me and make me new. Conform me to your will. Help me to image Christ.

Because of your forgiveness and grace for me in Christ, I pray that I would do as David wrote, “…my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise” (Psalm 51:14-15). May your grace for me compel me to sing your praises and testify of your grace to others.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

A Prayer for the New Year

I love new things. Who doesn’t? A new book, a new job, a new experience. Even the smell of a new car. I love new possibilities and new opportunities. I love considering all that the “new” holds.

But to be honest, I often have mixed feelings about new things. What if that new book isn’t that great and I regret buying it? What if the new job is worse than the last? What if the new experience falls flat?

And what if the new year I’ve looked forward to is harder than the previous year?

When I consider this new year—365 empty days waiting and ready to be filled with growth, opportunity, and adventure—I feel a mixture of excitement and anticipation, as well as some worry and apprehension. I look forward to what God will do in my life, the things I will learn, the ways he will stretch me and use me. I look forward to opportunities to be with family and friends and perhaps even make new friends. At the same time, I wonder about the hardships ahead. There are difficulties I face now that will likely intensify next year. There may even be unexpected difficulties ahead as well.

While I don’t know what 2019 holds, I do know the One who holds it.

A Prayer for the New Year

Father in Heaven,

I come before you today feeling a mixture of anticipation and worry. It’s exciting to turn the calendar page to a fresh new year. It’s exciting to consider all that the year holds. I look forward to new opportunities and growth. But at the same time, I wonder what heartaches and challenges lie ahead. And those heartaches I’ve faced this year, I wonder if they’ll continue into the next. I worry I won’t have the strength to endure unexpected change or trials. I guess I’m really not unlike the Israelite’s when they faced an uncertain future away from slavery and thought returning back to Egypt was a safer bet.

Forgive me for my worries and fears about this new year. Forgive me for doubting your goodness and faithfulness. Forgive me for forgetting your constant grace to me and fearing it won’t be there when I need it in the future. Forgive me for forgetting who you are.

While this new year may be filled with transition and change, you are the same yesterday, today, and forever. You never change and your promises remain true through every age.

While I don’t know what this new year holds, you are the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. You know the end from the beginning and every moment of this year to come. You know what 2019 holds and just what I need to journey through it.

While I may worry about unknown challenges, and fear I am not ready to face them, you are a good and faithful Father. You only do what is good. Whatever the year holds, it comes from your goodness and will be for my ultimate good.

While circumstances in my life may feel out of control this year, you reign supreme on your throne. You rule over all things. Nothing can happen outside your will and plan. You will never be surprised by anything that happens in 2019.

Help me to rest in who you are this year. Help me to dwell on your goodness and faithfulness. Help me to rely on your sovereign power, knowledge, and rule. Help me to remember that you’ve gone to great lengths to meet my deepest need by sending your Son as a sacrifice for me—how could I think you wouldn’t meet any of my lesser needs? Help me to look at 2019 with hope and trust, knowing that whatever it holds, it is a gift from your good hands.

This new year may be filled with new adventure, change, and opportunity. It may also have some challenges and trials. But every new year is a reminder that you are making all things new. This new year will push forward your Kingdom here on earth and your ultimate return. That is something “new” I long for with great hope and expectation.

I pray all this in Jesus’ name, amen.