Have you ever taken the Love Language Quiz? I recently took the quiz, and my love language is words of affirmation. I respond best to words of encouragement, words of hope. I find safety and comfort in words of affirmation.
I started noticing a trend during my time of devotion: scriptures that gave me those feelings of comfort and encouragement would be the ones I would linger over and re-read; I felt peace when I read those. While I know that the entire Bible is important and that along with scriptures of uplifting we need those scriptures to convict us and change us, I find beauty in the fact that Bible is full of words that give me a safe place.
God speaks my love language.
Isn’t it amazing that everything we crave in our relationships with people, God Himself has and is waiting to give to us? When we need love, strength, hope, peace, or help, He is right there with extended arms waiting for us to embrace Him. His Word is filled with scriptures He’s waiting for us to read and accept, and He wants us to apply them to our lives.
When we feel that we are alone, we can read Psalm 183:3 and know that when we cry out, He will answer us:
I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
When we feel afraid, we can read Psalm 27:1 and know that when the Lord is by our side we should fear nothing, because He is our strength:
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
When we need to know He is thinking about us, we can read Jeremiah 29:11 and know that He thinks about us enough to know our future and that He desires us to have a future of hope and not evil:
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
When we are hurting, we can read Psalm 34:18 and know that He is balm to our aching hearts:
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
When we need to know, more than anything, that He loves us, we can read Psalm 86:15 and remember His mercy, steadfast love, and faithfulness toward us:
But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
God’s Word is more than just a book to read. It’s a love letter to each of us that gives us what we need in the time that we need it.
The next time you have your time of devotion, take a few minutes to really focus on what God is trying to tell you. What words of affirmation is He passing on to you today? What scriptures does He really want you to hold close to your heart today?
When you need affirmation, don’t seek it in a person first. Talk to God, and I’m positive you will find what your heart needs most.