Day 24: 31 Days of Prayer

Day 24: 31 Days of Prayer

Verse:

For You, O Lord, are good and ready to forgive, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon You. Give ear to my prayer, O LORD, and attend to the voice of my supplication. In the day of my trouble I call upon You, for You answer me. (Psalm 86:5-7 - TB)

Reflection:

“To love requires a vulnerable heart. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure it stays intact, you must not give it to anyone, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully among your hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all attachments, lock it safely in the coffin or chest of your selfishness. But in that chest, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” - C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves Have you ever felt afraid that someone might know your true heart? The part that only you know, the part that has been formed since you were conceived, and since the world was made. Have you ever thought: “If he/they knew my real heart, it would seem impossible for them to love me”? I have thought like that before. I grew up with a wrong perception of the world around me. Now, after several years, there is a part of my heart that has opened my eyes to how difficult it is to receive undeserved love. As I keep growing in the Lord and allowing Him to love me, my vulnerability with God and with those close to me keeps growing. As C.S. Lewis said: “To love requires a vulnerable heart.” What we must know about this feeling is this: to be able to receive love is to become vulnerable. Verse 5. David says that God is good and forgiving. How extraordinary it is to have a God who forgives all our evil? This is so wonderful and so easy to see when we look back. God’s love abounds toward those who call on Him. This is the part of David’s prayer that pierced me so deeply. God loves us, and God is very vulnerable toward us. God allowed us to see His weakness and the vulnerable part of His soul in the Garden of Gethsemane, and on the cross. Even now, He is very vulnerable in giving the Holy Spirit into us so that we may know Him and fully, literally, become one with Him. This is undeserved love that leads us to become vulnerable. Verse 6. Hear my prayer and hear my cry for forgiveness. Crying is a form of vulnerability. If you are a man and you cry, you allow yourself to be seen in the light of vulnerability. God wept. Do you weep in your prayers? Perhaps not with tears flowing (though it could happen and may happen), but to weep when praying makes us vulnerable before God about the deepest cracks in your heart and character. This is very important, Verse 7. God answers those who call in trouble. When we are rejoicing and happy, God hears us. When we are in hardship or sadness or low or fear or doubt, God hears us. Cry out to God and be heard. Be vulnerable before the throne of the Almighty and love Him. Let God love us today. If you have not become vulnerable, you have not allowed God to love you.

Challenge:

Reflect on the verses above. Are you allowing God to love you? The easiest answer to this echo is, “Yes!” However, receiving love requires vulnerability just as loving others does. If you do not become vulnerable, it means you are not letting God love you. Speak to God today about your fears and about your vulnerability. Ask God to show you further ways to open yourself to Him and to others in your life so that you may become more vulnerable, becoming someone who can love and be loved. "To love requires vulnerability." To receive love requires vulnerability.

Translated from the article “31 Days of Prayer: Day 24” by Daniel Berk