Read: Philippians 1:3-11
It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment. (v. 9)
Back in 1965, pop singer Jackie DeShannon sang the song, “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” I was just a young lad at the time, but I remember the song well. It not only expressed the feelings of the lyricist, but it is, surprisingly, a prayer. After saying that love is “the only thing that there’s just too little of,” the song goes on to address God: “Lord, we don’t need another meadow / … Oh, listen, Lord, if you want to know.”
The apostle Paul makes a request to God regarding love in his letter to the Philippians: “It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more” (v. 9). But his prayer for love is more for the church than the world.
Why is that so? Doesn’t the world need love, sweet love? Of course it does! But for Paul, in order for the gospel to advance in the world, it needs to first be exemplified by the church. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. Creating a loving environment in a church is an enormous task—beyond human effort. So, Paul makes it a matter of prayer. And in that, he echoes Jesus’s instructions to his disciples: “Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 9:34-35).
Love lies at the center of the gospel and ought to abound more and more among God’s people.
As you pray, ask for love to abound in you and your church.
About the Author
Rev. John C. Koedyker is an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America. He has served as a missionary to Japan as well as pastor of several churches in Iowa and Michigan. Until recently he served Muskegon Classis as its Stated Clerk for 18 years. He resides in Grand Haven, Michigan.
