Link between Love and Prayer

Lesson #14 in the School of Prayer. "We sometimes commit ourselves to work for Christ out of zeal for His cause or for our own spiritual health, without giving ourselves in personal self-sacrificing love for those whose souls we seek. No wonder our faith is powerless and without victory! View each wretched one, however unloveable he is, in the light of the tender love of Jesus the Shepherd searching for the lost. Look for Jesus Christ in him and take him into a heart that really loves, for Jesus' sake. This is the secret of believing prayer and successful effort. Jesus speaks of love as the root of forgiveness. It is also the root of believing prayer... Whoever gives himself to let the love of God dwell in him, whoever in daily life loves as God loves, will have the power to believe in the love that hears his every prayer..." -With Christ in the School of Prayer, Andrew Murray

I was struck to the core today as I read that my prayers depend on my love for those I am praying for. I must admit that I do not always love everyone- I often fall short on compassion. And so in my school of prayer I must soak myself in God's love, so that as I pray, His love is poured through me onto those I'm interceding for.