"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."

John gives us one of the simplest, yet mysterious revelations about God in the middle of his chapter. One of the ways to access this kind of simple-yet-mysterious kind of reality in prayer is to use this verse as a kind of centering prayer. Center prayer is practiced by using a short phrase as a focal point during your time of prayer. When distracting thoughts come into your mind, you can return to this focal point (the center) and continue to listen and quiet your mind. Sometimes varied repetition (repeating the phrase with different emphasis) helps make us aware of both the parts and the whole.

As you pray today, try using John's phrase as an anchor for your prayer time. Come back to it when you get lost. Let it lead you into new moments of listening and quiet appreciation of God.

"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."

About the Author
Isaac Gaff is the Managing Director of Worship and Creative Arts at Calvary UMC