Living The Psalms With Jesus: Grow Closer To God Through PrayerSample

"Gratitude and God's Love"

One of the amazing things about Jesus is the vastness of his love. In his earthly ministry, everywhere he went, he saw the poor, the sick, and the outcasts, and he loved them. In one amazing story, Jesus heals a leper but first “touches him.”

In the religious culture of Jesus’ day, lepers were seen as outcasts, cursed by God. If a person touched a leper, they had to go through ritualistic cleansing and were seen as dirty for a time. The Scriptures say that first Jesus touched this leper, just as he was, without being disgusted. Then he healed him. In other words, Jesus loved the leper as he was before he made him whole.

Of course, the greatest act of love from Jesus is his great work on the cross. In this act of love, Jesus shows us that he would literally die to be with us and to save us. We also learn from the cross that God the Father loves us as much as he loves Jesus. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have sent his Son to die on our behalf. Think of that. God loves you as much as he loves Jesus. This is great news!

This is the rhythm that every follower of Jesus is invited into ‒ to be covered completely in the love of God, to believe it deep in the soul, and to return words, songs, and works of praise to God. This is worship. The heartbeat of worship is gratitude. And gratitude, especially for God’s love, is the heartbeat of happiness.

Prayer: Dear Father, I am so grateful for your love. You are the God of the universe, and I know I don’t deserve it, but I welcome it and trust that it will last forever. Amen.