Affection For God

As Mother's Day was coming to a close last Sunday, we went to our church's evening worship service. It is a service I have really grown to love, because the crowd is smaller, the nursery is practically empty, the band is not quite so loud, and I feel like I can get myself to a place where I can worship the Lord.

The band leader prayed at the end of the set, and one thing he said really caught my attention. He said, "God, we give you our love, our faith, and our affection. Amen."

His use of the word affection has really made me think this week about how I feel toward God.

There are the standard ways we, as Christians, feel about God or at least are supposed to feel toward God. We most likely feel love and gratitude and thankfulness toward God and all He has done for us through Jesus Christ. We probably also feel some type of reverence for our Creator as the Sovereign God of the universe who controls all the details of our lives.

But affection? Are we supposed to feel affection for God? The Great Judge who will one day separate the wheat from the chaff? If we love God isn't that enough?

Maybe it is. But affection is different than love. Affection is a fondness and a sincere liking of someone or something for who they are.

I have lots of affection in my heart for my dog, who is always happy to see me. I have affection for my child's schoolmates who are all so little and chubby and huggable.

Often affection and love go hand in hand. In addition to feeling affection for my faithful dog, I also love her. The same is true for my family and most of the people I consider my friends. I love them and have a great deal of affection for them. I like who they are and enjoy spending time with them.

But sometimes there is affection without love. Truthfully, I don't really feel great love for all my daughters friends because I simply do not know them very well. They are all so cute and sweet, but overpowering love is not a feeling I have towards them.

Other times, we feel love but no affection for some of the people. Maybe it is certain family members or friends where the relationships have soured and are no longer working. We love these people, and would never want anything bad or tragic to happen to them, but we do not feel much if any affection.

As it relates to my relationship with God, there is no doubt that I love Him. I am grateful for all He has done for me, and have given my life over to serve Him because I love Him.

But do I have affection for God? Do I like Him for who He is as He is describes in the Bible. Am I fond of Him, His character, and therefore want to spend more time with Him and build a better relationship, like I do with other humans that I am fond of?

I can look back and see periods in my life when I had no affection for God at all. For many months following my mother's sudden death, I was not fond of God and did not like Him. I was mad at Him and unable to talk, listen or pray to Him. My anger sometimes morphed into bitterness so that I could not even open my mouth to sing at church.

That was many years ago, and God healed my heart of the pain left by the loss of my mother. I love Him still, but do I have affection for Him?

I do not have the answers yet. But as I search my heart, I realize now that having affection for God in my heart is something I need to pray for. I hope and pray that as I grow in my relationship with God that He would increase not only my love but also my affection for Him. And out of that affection grows a desire to spend more time with Him, listen to Him, and obey Him so that one day my life would be hidden with Christ in God.