Love through Prayer

Hey, welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. The devotional for today titled Love Through Prayer was written by Leslie Coe. For years, John had been somewhat of an irritant at church. He was bad-tempered, demanding, and often rude.

He complained constantly about not being served well and about volunteers and staff not doing their job. He was, honestly, hard to love. So, when I heard that he'd been diagnosed with cancer, I found it difficult to pray for him. Memories of his harsh words and unpleasant character filled my mind. But, remembering Jesus' call to love, I was drawn to say a simple prayer for John each day. A few days later, I found myself beginning to think a bit less often about his unlikable qualities. He must be really hurting, I thought.

Perhaps he's feeling really lost now. Prayer, I realize, opens ourselves, our feelings, and our relationships with others to God, allowing Him to enter and bring His perspective into it all. The act of submitting our will and feelings to Him in prayer allows the Holy Spirit to change our hearts slowly but surely. No wonder Jesus' call to love our enemies is bound up tightly with a call to prayer. Pray for those who mistreat you, he said in Luke 6.28. I have to admit, I still struggle to think well of John. But, with the Spirit's help, I'm learning to see him through God's eyes and heart as a person to be forgiven and loved.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 6, verses 27 through 31. But to you who are listening I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you.

Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you. And if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.

Do to others as you would have them do to you. Let's pray. O God, thank you for loving us.

And you know how we feel about those who have heard us or who are irritating to us. So please give us your heart of grace and compassion. Help us to pray for them because you love them. And it's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Wes Ward and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.