Received: 2026-01-20 03:01:53

Prayer for all of the relationships in our community - especially that we will all choose to address concerns with love before they fester into something deep rooted and evil. Let us all choose safe people to confide in and keep each other accountable to live out our relationships in this life the way that Jesus would! There is so much clarity to be found in good communication.

It’s no surprise of course that words are another way through which we both receive and give love.

True for us, and true for God. Whether or not you felt like you were able to “hear” God’s voice in that silent space just now, the truth is that God has given us many words expressing his heart toward us. So let’s take a minute to listen to these declarations God has already made about his deep and abiding love for every single one of us.

  • See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! – 1 John 3:1
  • Like a shepherd God will tend the flock; he will gather lambs in his arms and lift them onto his lap. – Isaiah 40:11
  • The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. – Zephaniah 3:17
  • “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11
  • For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. – Psalm 139:13-14
  • I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with lovingkindness. – Jeremiah 31:3
  • Can a woman forget her nursing child, and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. – Isaiah 49:15-16
  • Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39
Contemplations
Love Languages: Words of Affirmation

Ready for what's next?

Bible Study
Journaling the Bible | Micah 6:6-8

What we’re wanting to do here is to shake up both over-familiarity (for those who have been reading the Bible for a long time) that can sometimes cause the Bible to feel stale, as well as to think more deeply about what some of the ancient words and metaphors really mean, and what they might look and sound like in our present day context. 

Reflection
Three Lies of Identity

In his book entitled, “Who Are We?” late author and priest Henri Nouwen describes three key lies of identity that can mess with our heads and create barriers to us experiencing the love of both God and community. He names these lies as: • I am what I have • I am what I do • I am what other people say or think of me 

Guided Prayer
Love Languages

Awhile back, a popular author categorized some of the ways we express and receive love into five different ‘love languages.’ Have you ever thought about the ways that God loves us?