A Prayer for Our Father’s Love

by Tonia Gutting

 

Father God,
You could have just shrugged, turned away, and started over somewhere else.
You could have said ‘I told you so. Serves you right.’
You could have said ‘you wouldn’t listen, so figure it out on your own.’
You could have invoked Your right to be angry.
You could have said ‘it’s not worth it–you’re not worth it.’But instead, You said I was worth it. On every. single. step to Calvary.

Help Us to Understand Our Father’s Love

Thank You. It motivates us to love You back, and it teaches us how to care for others.

At this time when we market all kinds of love, help us to understand Yours.

We envision every heart shape around us broken, Lord. Tattered, torn hearts. Thank You for loving us so much You were willing to let it break Your heart. Not an ornamental arrow through it, but a spear pierced all the way through.

Teach us to love like that, Lord Jesus. Teach us that sacrifice–not the passive, submissive sacrifice. Teach us to be intentionally, aggressively sacrificial.

To pull that cross, and take every step with You.
Starting with the ones we love–our husbands. Out of gratitude for how You have treated us, help us to show our men and our children that same outpouring.
“All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will always serve and trust Him
In His presence daily live

I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Him my precious Savior
I surrender all.

All to Jesus, I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;

Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me.”*

We Surrender All Because of Our Father’s Love


Lord Jesus, we give You our right to be angry. Our need to be respected. Our importance that prohibits patience. Our lack of worth that makes us put down others. Our lack of long-suffering.

We pray for our military wives. We bring to You the many things we are concerned with–our marriages, our children, homes that need to be rented, upcoming moves, illnesses, our parents’ health, our tyrannical schedules. We surrender them all to You. Let Your blessing fall on them.

Please work through us Lord–in our volunteer efforts, our PWOCs and chapels, in our social circles. Help us dare to reach out.

We Need Our Father’s Love

Lord, we need a flood of Your love in this land, in our world. We pray this mighty tide to overtake our hurting warriors, banishing depression and suicide and anger. May these people who have shown such sacrifice for others be shown that love at home. May Your grace abound in their homes.
Lord, there are planes flying over the Pacific, bringing our soldiers home. Please keep them safe. There are planes flying over the Atlantic, and the Middle East, be with them now. And please be with the ships on those blue waters, the soldiers scrambling through the mud.
In Jesus’ precious name,
Amen.
*I Surrender All
CCLI#7051633
Written By Judson W. VanDeVenter