A Prayer to Love Those Who Are Hard to Love
A sharp greeting at the church door, a hard week no one else knows about, and an invitation to be pulled into someone else’s conflict can leave a person exhausted and tempted to avoid the very people who frustrate them most. Pulling away can feel like self-protection, but God often asks for something more. Conviction has a way of arriving right after we have dodged the people we find difficult.
Romans 12:9-10 calls for love that is sincere, devoted, and willing to honor others above ourselves. First Corinthians 13 adds that love is patient and kind, even when we feel we have been wronged. This is the same patience and grace Christ extends to us every day, so withholding it from our spiritual brothers and sisters does not make sense. First John 4:20 makes the stakes clear: we cannot claim to love the God we have not seen while holding hatred toward the brother we have. Loving difficult people is not a one-time victory. It is ongoing work, and it requires a good deal of dying to self. As D.L. Moody put it, God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves. The prayer that opens the door is to be emptied, so that God can fill us with more of Himself and give us eyes to see hard-to-love people the way He does.
Bible Verse
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
— Romans 12:9-10, NKJV
Ponder Today
- Avoiding difficult people is a common response, but love asks for more. Conviction often follows when we pull away from those who frustrate us.
- Extend the patience and grace Christ extends to you. He forgives and helps us every day, so we have no grounds to withhold the same from others.
- Love for God and love for others are connected. First John 4:20 reminds us that we cannot love God while hating the people He has placed around us.
- Loving well is ongoing work. It is not a struggle you finish. It is a daily practice of dying to self.
- Ask God to empty you. When we decrease, He increases, and we begin to see hard-to-love people as His children, complete and whole.
A Prayer for You Today
Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for being impatient and unloving toward others when You are patient and loving toward me. I have said the wrong thing at the wrong time, and I fail every day, yet You continue to reach down and help me. You never hold my sins against me. Lord, empty us so that You can fill us with more of You. Help us decrease so that You can increase. Help us to see those who are hard for us to love through Your eyes, as Your children, complete and whole. Give us eyes to see and hearts to obey. We love You. We need You. Thank You for giving us everything we need for life and godliness. Amen.
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