American Reformation Church Prayer Journal 88
ARC Prayer Meeting:
Last Sunday at the American Reformation Church we returned to our main topic this year, which is the love of God. We have explored what it is, what it is not. We have looked at its definitions and phrases to discover its true meaning Biblically. We also observed God’s command to establish Philadelphia, brotherly love in our midst. This past Sunday, however, we did a deeper dive in what God expects from us as it pertains to our love for Him.
We know Biblically, it is the greatest commandment. Keeping God’s word and obeying His commandments ultimately reveals our love for God. Passing the faith to our children and instructing them in the ways of God is included in that holy pursuit of loving God (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). We briefly touched on all the blessed benefits of loving God and concluded with the true cost of discipleship, which is measured by our love for God. Our love for Him must be supreme. All other degrees of love amongst our human relationships must be secondary.
There are many prayers contained in the Bible where God’s people expressed their love for God. There are a few ways to express love for Him. As mentioned already, there is obeying His commandments. From there, we can worship Him with a sincere heart, meditate on His Word, love others, serve faithfully, trust Him completely, live a holy and grateful life, and of course pray and seek His holy presence in our lives.
One example of this expression of love in prayer is David’s song of love and trust found in Psalms 18:1–2, “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” All the dangers, toils, snares, and persecutions that God brought David through as He fulfilled all His promises to him is expressed in this prayer of love to God. What a great example left for us to follow.
In Psalms 63:1–4, we discover David’s overwhelming desire for God, “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So, I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power, and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus, I will bless You while I live.”
Expressing our love to God in prayer should lead to a lifetime of faithful service to our God, “I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live…What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all His people” (Psalms 116:1, 2, 12-14).
