Human beings are hungry to love and to be loved. While it's wonderful to love another person, or to be in love for the first time, these things are simply reflections or imitations of God's love for us. After all, the Bible says that God is love.
If we long to feel God's love, we can do so by reaching out toward him in love. When we speak words of adoration toward God, he responds by flooding our hearts with his love. Our love toward him is reflected back and multiplied.
Quick Study on God's Love
When we give love, we receive love: Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Luke 6:38).
God is generous with his love: If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him (Matthew 7:11).
God initiates our love relationship: We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).
God's love is limitless: Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies (Psalm 36:5).
Fear hinders us from feeling God's love: There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love (1 John 4:18).
When we move toward God, he moves toward us: Come near to God and he will come near to you (James 4:8).
God is love: Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 John 4:8).
Activity
Psalms offers numerous examples of how to worship God. When we feel we can't come up with words of love to say to God, Psalms provides a template. Reading a psalm of adoration out loud can actually help us move our thoughts in the direction of love—and our feelings will follow.
Choose a psalm to look at together. Then choose one or more of these options:
- Read the psalm aloud in unison.
- Paraphrase the psalm, putting it into your own words; then share with the group.
- Memorize the psalm (or a section from it) over the next week. Say it aloud in unison at your next meeting.
