A Prayer About Tenderness

A prayer about Tenderness

When I want to feel more tenderness toward others

O God,

You care for me with tenderness and compassion. Your Word—in Isaiah 49:14-15—compares your love for your people to that of a nursing mother tending to her baby and—in Matthew 23:37—that of a mother hen protecting her chicks. You are the God of the universe, the King over all creation, yet your heart is filled with mercy for me! May I reflect your heart in the way I treat other people. My heart has been hardened and dulled by years of sin. Please replace it with a soft and tender heart—plant a compassionate spirit within me. As I care for others, grant me moments when I realize the depth of your care for me. May my newly tender heart become ever more grateful for the many ways in which you have showered your love on me.

I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. Ezekiel 36:26-27