The Bible tells us in Matthew 21:22, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” Prayer is one way we communicate with God, and is an essential part of living out a Christ-centered life.
How can we pray about love? We can learn to pray about love by seeing examples of Christian prayers about love in the Bible, through Saints and historical figures, and from people today.
Since the Bible is filled with prayers about love, let us begin there.
Biblical Prayers About Love
Each one of these Scriptures can be brought into your prayers by simply praying the verse. A simple opening would be, “Lord, I thank you…” or “Lord please help me…”
Lord, I thank you that love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-5
Lord, help me to let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. – Psalm 143:8
Lord, please let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. – Hebrews 10:24-25
Lord, I know that if I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. – 1 Corinthians 13:2
Lord, help me to do everything in love. – 1 Corinthians 16:14
Lord, I thank that I can see what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. – 1 John 3:1
Lord, I thank you that you have made known to me the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge and for filling me with the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:19
Lord, I thank you that there is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. – 1 John 4:18
Lord, I believe that whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor. – Proverbs 21:22
Lord, I am convinced that 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
Lord I believe that these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13:13
Lord help me to be devoted to one another in love and honor one another above myself. – Romans 12:10
Lord, you say that greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. – John 15:13
Lord, you say to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. – Mark 12:30
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. – 1 Corinthians 13:1
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline. – 2 Timothy 1:7
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? – Romans 8:35
Historical Christian Prayers About Love
“O Lord, who has mercy upon all, take away from me my sins,
and mercifully kindle in me the fire of Your Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone,
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore You,
a heart to delight in You,
to follow and to enjoy You,
for Christ’s sake.”
St. Ambrose of Milan, 337–397 AD
“Look upon us, O Lord,
and let all the darkness of our souls
vanish before the beams of thy brightness.
Fill us with holy love,
and open to us the treasures of thy wisdom.
All our desire is known unto thee,
therefore perfect what thou hast begun,
and what thy Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer.
We seek thy face,
turn thy face unto us and show us thy glory.
Then shall our longing be satisfied,
and our peace shall be perfect.”
St. Augustine, 354 – 430 AD
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.”
The Prayer of Saint Francis – Anonymous
“Blessed are you, Lord our God.
How sweet are your words to the taste,
sweeter than honey to the mouth.
How precious are your commands for our life,
more than the finest gold in our hands.
How marvellous is your will for the world,
Unending is your love for the nations.
Our voices shall sing of your promises
and our lips declare your praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Blessed be God forever.”
Prayer of Thanksgiving – Anonymous
“Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits thou hast given me,
for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know thee more clearly,
love thee more dearly,
and follow thee more nearly, day by day.
Amen.”
Prayer of Saint Richard 1197-1253 AD
“Lord, because you have made me, I owe you the whole of my love; because you have redeemed me, I owe you the whole of myself; because you have promised so much, I owe you my whole being. Moreover, I owe you as much more love than myself as you are greater than I, for whom you gave yourself and to whom you promised yourself. I pray you, Lord, make me taste by love what I taste by knowledge; let me know by love what I know by understanding. I owe you more than my whole self, but I have no more, and by myself I cannot render the whole of it to you. Draw me to you, Lord, in the fullness of your love. I am wholly yours by creation; make me all yours, too, in love.”
St. Anselm, 1033-1109
“Jesus, my feet are dirty. Come even as a slave to me, pour water into your bowl, come and wash my feet. In asking such a thing I know I am overbold, but I dread what was threatened when you said to me, “If I do not wash your feet I have no fellowship with you.” Wash my feet then, because I long for your companionship.”
Origen, 185–254 AD
“Open unto me, light for my darkness
Open unto me, courage for my fear
Open unto me, hope for my despair
Open unto me, peace for my turmoil
Open unto me, joy for my sorrow
Open unto me, strength for my weakness
Open unto me, wisdom for my confusion
Open unto me, forgiveness for my sins
Open unto me, tenderness for my toughness
Open unto me, love for my hates
Open unto me, Thy Self for myself
Lord, Lord, open unto me.”
Howard Thurman
Christian Prayers About Love Today
“Lord, may nothing separate me from You today. Teach me how to choose only Your way today, so each step will lead me closer to You. Help me walk by the Word and not my feelings. Help me to keep my heart pure and undivided. Protect me from my own careless thoughts, words, and actions. And keep me from being distracted by my wants, my desires, my thoughts on how things should be.” – Unknown
“Help me to embrace what comes my way as an opportunity, rather than a personal inconvenience. And finally, help me to rest in the truth of Psalm 86:13, “Great is your love toward me.” You already see the ways I will fall short and mess up. But right now, I consciously tuck Your whisper of absolute love for me into the deepest part of my heart. I recognize Your love for me is not based on my performance. You love me, warts and all. That’s amazing. But what’s most amazing is that the Savior of the world would desire a few minutes with me this morning. Lord, help me to forever remember what a gift it is to sit with You like this. Amen.” – Lysa Terkeurst
“I come before you, oh Lord. As the sun rises, may your hope rise up in me. As the birds sing, may your love flow out of me. As the light floods into this new day, may your joy shine through me. I come before you, oh Lord, and drink in this moment of peace, that I may carry something of your hope, love, and joy today in my heart.” – Unknown
“Dear Lord, help me remember what a difference it makes when I make time with You a priority in my morning. Awaken me in body and spirit each day with a desire to meet with You and to hear You speak words of affirmation, assurance and wisdom over my heart as I prepare to go into my day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” – Traci Miles
“Dear Lord, thank you so much for another day of life on Earth. Thank you for another beautiful sunrise to enjoy. Thank you for the wonderful sounds of nature, from the cool breeze brushing through the trees to the birds singing melodies. You are a wonderful God, full of grace and mercy. I praise you for allowing me another day to spend with my family. I love you Father! Amen.” – Unknown
“Father, clear my sleepy head and fill my mind with expectation. Awake my slow body and energize my heart with love in action. Ignite my spirit and set this day on fire with promise. Make the ordinary extraordinary. Engage me, show me your kingdom alive. Help me to see that every waking moment is full of promise because of you. Amen.” – Unknown
“Good morning Lord! This is the day that you have made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. With gratitude, I thank you for preserving my life for one more day. With gratitude, I thank you for your ultimate gift of love for me, in the form of your son and the sacrifice of his life on my behalf. Because of this overwhelming gift that I often cannot comprehend, I humbly submit to you. I know Lord, that I am a mere human and cannot instruct you, but you Lord can instruct me. So teach me your ways that I may rely on your faithfulness. Teach us to number our days and to use our time wisely.” – Unknown
“I don’t know what this day holds, but I know that you hold the day. It was you that laid the foundations of the Earth and therefore understands every part of it. I know that you keep the sun in the sky, the stars in place, and have created this Earth for me to inhabit and enjoy.” – Nylse Esahc
“Lord, I give you all that I am this day. Please brush away my weariness, so that I may be inspired in my work. Help me to discover new ways to reveal your love to all I meet. Keep my mind clear and focused on all I need to achieve and give me the wisdom to overcome difficulties and find solutions. I look to you and trust you are with me this day. Amen.” – Unknown
“As the sun rises, may your love rise in my heart. A love that dispels tiredness. A love that overcomes difficulty. A love that builds a relationship. A love that inspires diligence. A love that delivers excellence. A love that develops trust. A love that produces praise. Lord, may I live in the light of your love. Amen.” – Unknown
Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.” – C.S. Lewis
I hope you will incorporate these prayers about love into your prayer time. When you are unsure of what to say or how to pray, you can pray Scriptures. Praying the Scriptures over your life and what past Christian have prayed is powerful! God listens to our prayers and hears our hearts.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Phillipians 4:6