How God Wants to Love You
One of the ways God wants to love us is through prayer.
One of the ways God wants to love us is through prayer.
But sometimes we don’t let Him. We’d rather let God love us by delivering our future spouse to our doorstep. Or depositing a million dollars into our bank account. Or giving us a child. There’s nothing wrong with wanting these things, but I’m not sure we’ll end up feeling loved by God if He delivers.
We might feel grateful and happy at first. But soon the feeling will fade at the first argument with Prince Charming, or when you have to pay taxes on your million dollars, or when you suddenly can’t sleep on your own schedule. God’s love might not seem so grand anymore.
God’s love will be tied to what He does for you, and let’s face it, you can’t be receiving new spouses at your doorstep every day.
But God wants to love you in prayer. Psalm 66.19-20 says, “God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!”
God absolutely, without doubt, hears your voice in prayer. When you come to God sincerely from the pit of your being, without show or fancy talk, but as honestly and as basic as you know how, He hears and listens—certainly.
This reception is praiseworthy. The God of the Universe, Almighty God, who fashioned the stars and knows every grain of sand on your favorite shore and every strand of hair on your favorite head, who did not spare His own Son for your sake, is the One who listens to your prayer. You have His attention.
Prayer and God’s love are closely connected. The fact that God hears your voice in prayer is an act of love in itself. It’s proof that He does not withhold His love from you. When you draw close, He draws closer. When you pray, He wraps His velvet hands around you.
This is good news because we can pray at any time and access God’s love at any time. We don’t need dreams to be answered to feel loved by God. But it’s also bad news because if we don’t pray, we don’t receive God’s love in the measure that is available. And lots of us don’t pray.
Instead of favoring what God can do for you, come to God in prayer. He won’t let you down like Prince Charming will.