Daily Prayer Guide ~ April 29 - Praying as The Beloved of God.

Read:

Matt 3:16-17

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; ¹⁷ and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

John 15:9

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

Romans 8:38-39

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Eph 5:1

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children ² and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Consider:

You and I are so loved by the Father, it is impossible for us to know the depths or boundaries of that love.  Like a child never quiet understands the fullness of a parent’s love for them, God’s great love for us is exponentially greater.  Because of what Jesus has done for us, we can know and experience that I am loved by God.  You and I are God’s beloved. 

We are all prone to the temptation to listen to the voice in our heads that repeats “You are nothing, you are not loved”.  The world is full of voices that shout, “You are no good, you are worthless, you are a nobody”.  These negative voices are so loud it is easy to believe them.  When we believe these voices that call us worthless and unlovable, then success, popularity and power become attractive solutions to the ache in our hearts.  According to Henri Nouwen, the real trap then is self-rejection; perhaps our personal expression of social distancing where we isolate ourselves from the truth of who God calls us to be.  “Self rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the “Beloved” which expresses the core truth of our existence”

It is when we are able to live in the truth of hearing God say to our souls “I have called you by my name, from the very beginning.  You are mine and I am yours.  You are my Beloved and my favor rests on you.  I have known you from the beginning and I knit you together in your mother’s womb.  I have carved you in the palm of my hands and hidden you in the shadow of my arms.  I look at you with infinite tenderness, and care for you with more love than a mother has for her child.  I know every hair on your head and guide every step of your foot.  I keep watch over you and give you food for your hunger and satisfy your thirsts.  I will not hide my face from you but will be known by you. Nothing will ever separate you from me; nothing can snatch you out of my hand.  We are one.” 

When you and I know that we are the Beloved of God, then we are more than victors.  We have all the confidence of the Almighty within us and we can act and love as he would.  When we are able to leave our homes post-COVID, we can leave as the Beloved of God to live and love and act as he would, because he is, through you and I.  We will be able to reenter our world with something to offer the world.  We have a message for those who live listening to the same lies we have been prone to, but we have the power to overcome and offer the truth to the world who needs to hear it and see it. 

Prayer: Father, Thank you that you call me your Beloved.  That in Christ, I am loved by you and that changes everything for me.    Thank you that I can live in this love that brings me life and strength to face my days. 

·      In your words, Thank God for loving  you and calling you his Beloved.

·      Express to him what it means to you that he calls you his Beloved.

·      Ask him to forgive you for the times and ways you have listened to the lies that tell you that you are not loved.

·      Ask that He would use your life to demonstrate his love today.

·      Pray for those struggling with the fears and lies the world would like them to believe about themselves.  Ask that the truth of God’s love would reach them today. 

·      Ask that when you are able to leave your home again, you will leave as God’s Beloved with a message of good news for others to experience God’s love.    

Father, May we always know that we are your Beloved and that in Christ we can experience the fullness of your love in our minds and hearts.  Thank you for your great love for us.   Amen