First Love Church
These podcasts are messages that were preached at First Love Church in Ocala, Florida. We hope that you are encouraged and inspired by what you hear. We are a non denominational, egalitarian church that practices a generous orthodoxy. Find out more about our local congregation online at firstlovechurch.org.
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First Love Church
Guided Prayer: Justice, Mercy, and Humility
Lay down the urge to earn your worth and breathe into a truer center. We invite you into a calm, spacious practice shaped by Micah 6:8—do justice, love mercy, walk humbly—so these ancient words move from page to pulse. This guided time blends gentle breathwork, grounding in the body, and a living reframing of justice, mercy, and humility as a daily rhythm rather than a religious burden.
We begin by naming belovedness as your starting point: you are seen, loved, and known before you lift a finger. From there, the breath slows and the feet find the floor—the same earth that has carried prophets, saints, and Jesus—so your own life can settle into continuity with a larger story. Justice emerges as the steady work of setting things right, mercy shows up as strength expressed in gentleness, and humility becomes a shared walk with God rather than self-shrinkage. Each image is simple enough to hold and strong enough to carry into your next conversation, task, or act of care.
Across the meditation, we turn Micah’s words into prayer, letting them repeat until they re-pattern the heart: do justice, love mercy, walk humbly. You’ll return to the room with steadier breath and a quiet courage to live what you received—mercy shaping your words, justice flowing through your hands, humility pacing your steps. If this practice helped you reset your rhythm and reimagine spiritual life as union that overflows into action, share it with a friend who needs peace today, subscribe for future meditations, and leave a review to help others find this space.
This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would like to support the ongoing work of First Love Church you can donate at https://www.firstlovechurch.org/giving
In the service of LOVE,
Pastors Dennis and Heather Drake
Welcome, beloved. You are seen, you are loved, you are known. Take a moment to center here, inviting all of the pieces of yourself, not as you think you should be, but simply as you are. God has named you beloved before you ever did a thing to earn it. And as we center into this time of prayer and stillness, let's remember together the invitation of the prophet Micah, chapter six, verse eight. What does the Lord require of you? But to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. This is not a commandment to burden us, but it is a path, a way of being, a rhythm for our humanity, and a doorway into divine life. Let's take a deep breath together. Inhale, receive the gift of this moment, and exhale, release everything that is not needed right now. Again, slowly. Inhale peace. Exhale striving. Feel your feet grounded on the earth. The same earth that is held prophets, saints, and Jesus Himself. You too are being held. You belong here. As your breath slows, notice you are both human and divine, made from star dust, yet carrying the breath of God. Micah six, eight gives us a simple and sacred pattern. Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly. Setting all things right. Kindness, mercy is not a weakness. It is strength expressed in gentleness. Humility is not smallness. It is the grace of knowing that you walk with God in every breath. This is how we live as divine beings in human form. By letting love become our rhythm. By seeing God in one another. And by remembering that we are not separate, never alone. Let your heart rest in this truth. There is no doing of justice or mercy apart from God's presence within you. All of it flows from divine union. Let the words of the prophet Micah become a prayer within you. Do justice, love mercy. Walk humbly with your God. Slowly bring your awareness back to the room. Feel your feet on the earth once more. Notice your breath. Steady, calm, alive. You have met God in the stillness. As you go from this place, may you walk humbly in your belovedness. May mercy shape all of your words. And may justice flow through your hands. Go in peace, beloved, rooted in the oneness of God's love.
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