Rooted - Love
With Valentine’s Day still in our memory, I thought it might be good to allow February’s meditation and prayer focus on love. Often, the first thing we think about when the subject of love is brought up, especially when reflecting on what scripture has to say about what love is and how it is expressed is, “how am I doing at loving others?” This is an important question, and definitely worth pondering, but I want to invite you to set it aside for the moment and instead, turn your attention to your experience of love. Given what love is and how it is best expressed, where have you encountered love? How has it impacted you? And, how have you been changed by it?
May this time of meditation and prayer allow you to grow in your knowledge of the fullness of God’s love for you and recognize how it has been expressed to you through people in your life.
Meditation - Take a few moments to slowly read the following passages over several times. Let each reading help focus your heart and mind on the word or thought which stands out to you. Ask yourself: What might the Holy Spirit desire to speak to me from this passage and how does my heart react to what I hear?
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Exploration - Take the balance of the hour to consider with God in prayer the following prompts. Do not rush. Allow the space necessary to listen for the still small voice of God. Do not feel like you have to complete every prompt. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you to the places He would desire to explore with you. Talk to him about what you discover as you follow him into these places.
List out the different characteristics of love which have been shared in this passage. Who has demonstrated each one of these most completely to you? Write a sentence or two describing who and how they did it.
Which of these acts of love, impacted your life the most? What difference did it make? How has it changed you and shaped how you respond to others?
Where have you recognized the hand of God in these acts of love? If you haven’t thought of them that way before, take some time to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal how God was present and active in your experience of being loved by others?
Can you recall any experience of God demonstrating any of these aspects of love to you directly? What did that look like? How did you receive it? What was the impact of that experience?
Is there any characteristic of love which is hard to identify as something you have experienced? How do you feel about this? Talk to God about how you feel and ask Him to remind you of a person or circumstance in your past where this kind of love was present.
Close your time of exploration by writing a paragraph or two talking to God about what it makes you think and feel to ponder your experience of being loved.
Ending Your Time – Take that last few minutes of your time to simply soak in God’s love for you. Quite your heart and imagine the vastness of His love. Let your mind explore how high and wide and deep is the love of Christ. When you are ready, thank Him for the love you have received and remembered.
