Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good (Romans 12:9).
Our Father, God of love, You are love! Our Lord Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of [our] faith (Hebrews 12:2), showed us, and taught us to follow the way of love (1 Corinthians 14:1) in a manner we had never known. You have shown us the answers to many of the desperate prayers we pray to You, but we are not willing. Forgive us, O Lord.
You have taught us, blessed are the poor in spirit...
But we have not been willing to humble ourselves before You, and to love each other in poverty of spirit. Yet, we long for healing from the vitriol and the hate, the strife and the division.
You have taught us, blessed are they that mourn...
But we have not been willing to grieve, mourn and wail for our sins in humility before You (James 4:8-10). Yet we long for relief from the chaos, the confusion, the trouble and the turmoil.
You have taught us, blessed are the meek...
But we have not been willing to take Your yoke...and learn from You, You who are gentle and humble in heart (Matthew 11:29). Yet we long for an end to the shattering, and the splintering, and the cracking, and the breaking.
You have taught us, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...
But we have not been willing to stop spending our money on what is not bread, and our labor on what does not satisfy (Isaiah 55:2). Yet we long for deliverance from famine; respite from drought.
You have taught us, blessed are the merciful...
But we have not been willing to follow justice and justice alone (Deuteronomy 16:20). Yet we long for escape from the shackles of corruption, and abuse, and manipulation.
You have taught us, blessed are the pure in heart...
But we have not been willing to wash our hands, [and] purify our hearts, (James 4:8). Yet we long to come near to God, to the safety of His dwelling in the day of trouble (James 4:8, Psalm 27:4-5).
You have taught us, blessed are the peacemakers...
But we have not been willing to renounce the evil desires that battle within...the warped entitlement that leads to the outcomes the apostle James describes, You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight (James 4:1-2). Yet we long for peace and safety, and an end to war and violence.
You have taught us, blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness...
But we have not been willing to love [our] enemies and pray for those who persecute [us] (Matthew 5:44). Yet we long to be children of our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:44).
O Lord, Forgive our hardened hearts! You have taught us what is love; You have taught us what is good. But we spurn Your standards, establish our own. And when our world spins out of control, we cry out to You in panic and desperation, or refuse to cry at all, persisting in seeking our own solutions.
Help us to humble ourselves before You, O God. Help us to acknowledge our foolish pride and our limited vision. Help us to take hold of Your teachings—to take hold of You. Help us to submit to Your good and perfect ways.
Give us the resolve, the courage, the wisdom, and the power to love sincerely, to hate what is evil, to cling to what is good. You, O, Lord, are good. Teach us to cling to You. Heal our world. Deliver us from evil.
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