Dear brothers and sisters,

In our text this week (1 John 4:17-21) the apostle John expresses his desire that we rest our souls in God’s perfect love for us. Such a rest in His love will grant us boldness, will drive out our fears, and will instruct us how to love one another. Our lack of assurance, our struggle with fears, and our failure to love our brother as we should reflect a failure to be gripped by the love God has for us; or, even worse – it may reflect that we are strangers to this love.

Prayer tonight will be at the Burke’s home. Let us come ready and eager to pray. And we will be motivated to pray if we have been beholding the manner of this perfect love of the Father demonstrated to us in Christ. A failure to pray usually testifies to a heart preoccupied with something other than this great love. Or as Mr. Tripp would say, “We have an awe problem.”