Praying – God, Please Help Me Love You More
Did you read Gretchen Fleming’s post last week?
She started it…
“Hi. My name is Gretchen and I’m a grudge-holding, fault finding, over-responsible, jealous, insecure, people-pleasing perfectionist. Oh, did I mention a know-it-all? I’m that too.”
As I read her words, I found myself smiling at her honesty and nodding my head in agreement because I could so easily replace her name with my own. (You can read the rest through the link in the features below.)
I fall so far short of God’s will every single day.
Lately, I’ve been digging into the writings of the prophets and I’m learning something…
They weren’t writing about obedience, they were writing about love. God’s love! Verse after verse God asked the prophets to tell His people how much He loved them and how He longed for them to love Him in return!
I get tears in my eyes when I think of how often I’ve gotten it wrong.
Although I need God’s forgiveness because I’ve failed to obey Him, more than anything, I need His forgiveness because I’ve failed to love Him as He wants me to.
And as I wrote the other day … I’ve even failed to love Him as I want to.
He wants our heart, soul, mind, and strength love.
Our all – not our leftovers.
So, today I’m asking Him to help me love Him with heart, soul, mind, and strength love.
I’d love for you to pray with me…
Praying – God, Please Help Me Love You More
With my all – heart, soul, mind and strength.
♥ All My Heart
When I pray to love God with all my heart – I want to make Him my greatest treasure … valuing my relationship with Him, with Jesus, over anything and everything else in my life.
Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:21
Father, I want to love You with all my heart but too often, I fail to cherish You as my greatest treasure. Please forgive me. Life is so busy and boisterous. I get distracted by stuff and relationships. I let my wants and wishes take priority over Your will for me. I’m so sorry.
Help me, Lord. I want my relationship with You to be the priority of my life. I need Your Holy Spirit to help me stay focused on Jesus when the world and its problems try to distract and defeat me.
Be my treasure, Lord! Be my pearl of great value and my heart’s desire. Help me love You more – with all my heart. Amen.
♥ All My Soul
When I pray to love God with all my soul – I want to love Him with all I am … with my will (attitudes and intentions), my emotions, my thoughts and feelings, and my body.
Praise the Lord! Let all that I am praise the Lord. Psalm 146:1
Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. Psalm 62:5
Father, That is my prayer … all that I am love!
Your Word says You know everything about me. You know where I am and what I do. You know my personality, my talents, my feelings, my attitudes, and my intentions. Every thread of my DNA is known to You … created for Your plans and purposes. (Psalm 139, Jeremiah 29, Isaiah 44)
Father, I surrender my all to You. I give You my worship and praise, my prayers, my heart. Help me love you more – with all my soul. Amen.
♥ All My Mind
When I pray to love God with all my mind – I want to love Him with my reason and intellect. I want to know Him through Jesus, the Way, Truth, and Life.
Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with Himself depends on faith. Philippians 3:8–9
Father, Jesus is my Way, my source of Truth, my Life-giving Savior. Jesus, the Word made flesh, showed us Your love.
Thank you, for Jesus, for Your mercy and grace. Help me trust and obey You as my humble response to all You have done for me.
When I’m confused and the world tries to pull me away … guide me by Your Word and strengthen me to trust and obey. Forgive my failures and help me recommit each day to you.
By the power of Your Spirit, help me know and love You as I read and study Your Word and come to You in prayer. Help me love You more – with all my mind. Amen.
♥ All My Strength
When I pray to love God with all my strength – I want to love Him by what I do and say. I want to honor Him with my abilities, my resources, and my service. I want to the people in my life to see Jesus and glorify God.
God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8–10
Father, You have people for me to love and things for me to do. By Your grace, help me. You give me everything I need to do them. May I be generous with the blessing You give. Make me sensitive to the needs of others. Make me loving and kind.
Father, help me serve You in ways that show people how much You love them. I don’t want them to see the goodness in me … I want them to see Your goodness, faithfulness, and love. Help me love You more – with all my strength. Amen.
Through Jesus, you and I have everything we need to love God more. To love Him heart, soul, mind, and strength.
And that’s a blessing worth counting!
Deb,
Wow, you are right is because I have failed to love him. I always looked at my shortcoming with God to be more about obedience, but you have opened up my eyes. Yes, I will join you in praying to love him more. Great Post! Maree
It is definitely a blessing worth counting Deb! Thank you for that reminder!
Jennifer
Wow, thanks for sharing Gretchen’s convicting words.
And I’m grateful for all the times God has given grace when I’ve handed Him leftovers . . .
I think this whole concept of where our treasure is seems to be something God is working out in me also Deb. And right now, Psalm 62:5 is a constant reminder for me to show my love by surrendering something I treasure deeply to His care and timing. I so needed this encouragement today!
Amen, Lord, help us love You wholeheartedly. Thanks for this reminder, Deb. Blessings to you.
Thank you friend for your precious encouragement and support! Our ministry is from Him, through Him, and to Him. Blessed be His Name!
I love the prophets and their message from God to His people brings tears to my eyes as well. The fact that the Almighty longs for our love in return is overwhelming. There are no words for the humility and privilege represented. From beginning to end, the Bible is about love. If we miss that concept and priority, what a victory for the enemy.
Thank you for your reminder to us Deb! Powerful!
Oh, yes, Lord, help me to love you more and more, with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength!
Blessings, Deb!
Beautiful prayer and inspirational challenge to us all. My hope and prayer is that I love the Lord with all my heart too, Deb. Thanks for the linkup, the wonderful posts and these encouraging words!
We discussed in our small group this week that we will love people to the same degree that we love and know God. I’ve been thinking and praying this week exactly about this!
i pray it as often as I think it: Lord, help me love you more. that IS the big thing. And also add, may my kids know how much you love them. Amen. super post, my friend.
I think sometime we just forget to let Him love us too, and that’s how we love Him more.
Deb – Wow, I had not read Gretchen’s words this week, but oh boy could you ever put my name in there too. I have always loved this verse and reminder to check what my heart treasures the most… it should be God and loving Him more, but truthfully it isn’t always. thanks for the gentle reminder pointing us towards to truth. 🙂 Also, thank you for choosing my post on the Beatitudes as a feature/favorite this week! It is such an honor and a blessing to be chosen. thank you
I am praying this too, Deb. I was also grateful to read Debbie K’s post here. I needed the message about meekness. Blessings to you!
How humbling and encouraging. That’s one of my favorite verses, as it reminds me Who and What I live for. I pray that I love the Lord more and more, even when times get tough! Thanks for this sweet reminder.
Sydney Meek | meeklyloving.com
Thank you so much for Everything you do to network all of us bloggers! I especially love your link party! Katy @SYE
Everything is worthless when you truly know Christ. Every speaker, every lecture, and every book written about Jesus. He wants you to talk to Him. He wants to guide you with no one else influencing you. Thanks for hosting!
They weren’t writing about obedience. They were writing about love. What a breath of fresh air today. thank you.
Oooooh am grateful for this praying ,it encourage me &, increase my love to God thanks ????I love this website
Thank you so much! God bless you!