Morning Prayer - I Remain In You, God

My Lord and my God,

I come before you, following the example of John, whose name means “The Lord has bestowed grace.” You have called me too, not by the nets at the lakeside, but here, in this new day, in my everyday life.

I long to be part of your inner circle, the one you invite to share in the deepest moments—in trials, in miracles, and in the quiet prayer within the garden of my heart.

Make me the disciple whom you love

Lord, I do not want to follow you merely from a distance, or listen to your words only superficially. I yearn to live with you and like you. I desire that deep, personal friendship which is founded on complete trust.

I want to be the one who rests his head on your chest and simply listens to the beating of your heart. I want to be the one who stands with you even at the foot of the cross, in pain and uncertainty, and hears your voice.

“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,”” (John 19:26)

You are the one who calls me a friend and reveals to me the mysteries of the Father. Teach me to live out this friendship, which is the greatest gift.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)

Lord, for You are Love

John did not theorize about love; he lived it, because he had received it from you. I, too, wish to know this love, not as an abstract idea, but as a concrete, living force in my life.

Your love is not just an act; it is your very essence. You have shown it to me to the very end.

“It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (John 13:1)

In this immeasurable love, may I find my refuge and my certainty. Help me to truly believe in it, to lean on it, and to abide in it, for you find me in my smallness and you love me.

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:16)

Grant that I may never forget that your essence is love. Even when I do not understand your ways, may I remember this truth.

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8)

Your love went so far that you became the atoning sacrifice for my sins, and for the sins of the whole world. This gift sets me free and gives me new life.

“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2)

Lord, as the Lamb who was slain, yet you stand victorious, holding history in your hands. In you I trust. And with the whole Church, which longs for your coming, I too cry out: Enter, O King of glory, and dwell with us.