Dec 19 – Day 353. Love One Another

“Beloved, love one another: for love is of God; everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” (1 John 4:7)

Welcome to another daily prayer. Pray with love. God is love, and He wants us to love one another. Dear friends, let us cherish and love one another, for love originates from God. Anyone who truly loves is not only connected to God but also reflects His divine nature, demonstrating that they are born of God and possess an understanding of His essence.

Transcript

Good morning, everyone! Thank you for joining us for another episode of EBC’s Prayer Podcast. Today is December 19, marking the 353rd day of the year. 

I’m your host, Dr. Victoria Haddad, the First Lady and Prayer Leader at the Elyon Bible Church Apostolic in Salem, NJ. As we gather today, let’s take a moment to reflect on the blessings and challenges we’ve faced this year, and the blessings of God’s love that surrounds us.

Today, our scripture will be taken from 1 John 4:7, and it reads: “Beloved, love one another; for love is of God; everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” 

The Lord is reminding us of the fundamental role love plays in our spiritual lives. He calls us to not only embrace love but also to extend it to others, embodying the essence of God’s nature within our relationships. 

So today, as we pray, let’s open our hearts to the transformative power of love and ask the Lord to help us show love and interact with one another in a positive way.

Let’s Pray

Dear Heavenly Father. Our Lord, our God, and our Savior,

Father, with joyful hearts, we come before you. Praying with gratitude for your endless mercy, for your patience, and for your steadfast love towards us. Lord, thank you for this gift of love that is deep, high, and enduring. Even when we fall short, your arms remain open. Even when we wander, your voice is calling us back. 

Lord, you are reminding us that we need to “love one another, for love is of God; and everyone that loves is born of God, and knows God.” Father, help us to live a life that is full of love. Teach us to love selflessly, to love without expectation, to love without measure, and to love without limitation. Help us to love not only those who are easy to love, but to love those who are difficult to love. Help us to love those who may have hurt us, as well as those who stand apart from us. Lord, let our love mirror your patience, your kindness, your forgiveness, and your ever-faithfulness in our lives.

Father, you know everyone who is praying today. You see the hearts of everyone who is crying out to you. Some are praying with tears because of what they are going through. Some are abused in ways that they can not even state or let others know. Some are fearful of the battle of the enemy, and some are weighed down by sorrow, loneliness, and anxiety. 

Lord, you see the tears everyone is crying, everyone who is praying, and everyone who is seeking your help. Especially those who are crying behind closed doors, and the questions they carry in the stillness of the night. Lord, give us the courage to step into those spaces, to reach out to the hurting, to listen, to comfort, and to be instruments of peace to everyone we meet. Help us to be a light to those who feel lost, a source of hope to those who feel abandoned, and gentle hands to those who long for healing.

Bless us, Lord, may your love flow through us abundantly that it spills over into every conversation we have, every action we take, every interaction we encounter. Use us as vessels of kindness, acts of encouragement, and acts of service. For no expression of love is ever wasted, and love plants seeds that you alone can grow.

Father, strengthen our relationships with you. Let love be the foundation of every bond we hold. Heal the places where there is division, soften the places where there is bitterness, and breathe life into the places where there is distance. Lord, let unity and peace take root in our homes, in our communities, in our churches, and all over the world.

Help us, Lord, to love beyond words. May love be the driving force behind all we do and everything we say. When we speak, let it be with gentleness. When we act, let it be with humility. When we serve, let it be with joy. May every part of our lives shine with the reflection of your love, so that those who see us can see you through us.

Father, remember everyone who is praying for us. There are so many Lord, who are on their knees reaching out to you for us, because of their needs for us. Lord, remember our leaders. Bless them with wisdom, integrity, and compassion. May your love flow through us toward them, so that our encouragement and prayers strengthen their journey. Remind us to be people who build up rather than tear down, who support rather than criticize, and help us to intercede rather than judge.

Lord, remove from us anything that keeps us from loving you and loving others. Take away pride, take away anger, take away jealousy, and take away fear. Replace them with humility, with gentleness, with patience, and with love. Give us the eyes to see others as you see them and to see them precious and beloved, like you see us.

Lord, help us to be more like you, so we can willingly lay down our own desires for the sake of others. Help us to embrace those who are overlooked and forgive others, as you have forgiven us.

Father, we are praying and asking you to let this prayer not end when we say “Amen,” but let it continue as a living prayer in our hearts throughout the day and throughout each moment of life.

Lord, in closing, take our hearts and make them tender and more like you. Lord, take our hands and make them willing to be moved and used for you. Take our voices, Lord, and make them kind to others. Take our lives and make them yours. Lord, thank you for hearing us, thank you for strengthening us, and above all, Lord, thank you for sacrificing your life for us.

Help us to have a wonderful day. In His holy and precious name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, we pray…Amen.

Everyone. Keep on praying, keep on trusting God. Have a great day, and by God’s grace, we will pray again tomorrow. Bye-bye.