Living on Purpose: The dynamic relationship between love and prayer

Last Sunday, I was asked to bring the morning sermon for a wonderful church in the country called Mt. Lebanon Methodist. I had a dream recently about delivering a message and when I awoke, I went I into my office and asked God to please not let it dissipate before I could write down as much of it as I could remember. Dreams are like the morning fog that fades when the sun comes out. I was noticeably rattled and was typing feverishly. How many know when God gives you a word it’s not a suggestion? I ended up separating the content into four parts and here is one of the sections.

Within the dream, even though I was the one speaking, it was a warning of serious discipline to me. I talk a lot about love and prayer but I seldom consider that I cannot have one without the other. Sadly, more often than not, I do not have either one. I’m being bluntly honest about my lack of fervency when it comes to caring and intercession. I comprehend that compassion and having a burden to pray is measured by how filled I am with God’s Spirit. I will not pray if I do not love, and without love, I will not pray.

Do you see how these two important aspects of the Christian life work together and both are driven by faith? Why did Jesus pray so much? Because He was filled with love! The sobering question here is how do we feel about our responsibility to love and pray? Do I want to develop a passionate burden to love more and to pray more, or am I satisfied to just keep going the way that I am? In the dream, I was told the way to have more love is to pray and ask for it. (I shouldn’t be surprised).

Having a deep conviction and concern for others does not just fall on my head. Yes, the nature and character of Christ lives in me, but this does not automatically transform my conscience or renew my mind. I’ve been given the demand and responsibility to close myself in with God each day and pray, and then the result of developing my relationship with Him and drawing closer to Him will be to be like Him. What is important to Him will now become my burdens, which causes these priorities to become so strong they will drive me to my knees.

This sounds wonderful, but to be honest it does not happen as much as it should. I’m often so busy with my own thoughts, I’m not considering what He wants me to do. I fill my day up with distractions and end up not asking for more sensitivity and love. And guess what? This leaves me without a burning desire to pray. You see, when we have an understanding of our accountability to be His servant, we no longer have an excuse as to why we fail to obey. The bottom line is that evidently, I do not care like I should. Where is my reverential fear of God?

How many times have I read the passage in First Corinthians Chapter 13, and yet I keep thinking it’s talking about someone else. Let’s read it again. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.”

I’m not exactly sure what being nothing and having nothing means spiritually, but I know it’s not good. Here I see what is required of me and yet I am rebellious against it. Why? Because I would rather be absorbed and conformed to the world. Disobedience is a sin and instead of being an overcomer for Christ, I’m being overwhelmed with my own carnality. What I fail to be convicted about is that I cannot blame my failure to live for Jesus on anyone else – even the devil. I have free will to choose whatever I want to do, and I will be the one who will answer for it.

Dr. Holland is an ordained minister, chaplain, and author. Read more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com.