Chosen Portion
All prayers

Theme

God’s Love Prayer

A short, Scripture-shaped theme prayer for an ordinary moment of Christian faith.

Read the prayer

The prayer

A prayer to pray now

Father, Your love came first. I get that backward so often. I act like the love has to start with me, like I have to make the first move. But 1 John 4:10 says the truth is the other way. You loved me before I loved You. You sent Your Son when I had done nothing to earn it. That changes everything. It means my love for You can be a response, not something I have to force. It means the days I do not feel much love for You do not break us apart, because this bond was never mine to hold together. You hold it. Hold me in the love that was first. Amen.

How to pray it

  1. Read it slowly. Move through this prayer one line at a time, out loud if you can, letting each phrase land before the next.
  2. Make it personal. Pause where a line meets your day and name the person, fear, or hope it touches before God.
  3. Carry it with you. Keep one sentence with you — on your phone or in your pocket — and return to it when the day gets loud.

Verses to pray

Pray these slowly, one line at a time. Scripture quoted from a public-domain translation.

  1. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice4:10 “atoning sacrifice” is from the Greek “ιλασμος”, an appeasing, propitiating, or the means of appeasement or propitiation—the sacrifice that turns away God’s wrath because of our sin. for our sins.
    1 John 4:10
  2. We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.
    1 John 4:16

Questions about this prayer

When should I pray god’s love prayer?

Pray it whenever the words fit your moment — at the start of the day, in a hard stretch, or when you simply want to turn toward God.

Which Bible verses anchor this prayer?

This prayer is anchored in 1 John 4:10, 1 John 4:16. The "Verses to pray" section above quotes them in full.

Can I save or share this prayer?

Yes. Use the Copy prayer button to copy the words, or open the Chosen Portion app to keep a daily prayer, devotional, and Scripture with you.