Augustine famously said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
As those made for fellowship with God, the Psalms teach us how to use affectionate address to God in prayer, so that God is spoken to as the object of our desire, the One whom we love and take joy and delight in.
What Are Affections?
Affections may be described as the heart’s settled loves. Emotions can be fading and transient, changing from one moment to the next, whereas affections are the inward dispositions of a heart trained or habituated to love or hate something.
Jonathan Edwards wrote in The Religious Affections, “The affections are no other than the more vigorous and sensible exercises of the inclination and will of the soul.” He later describes them as “the fervent exercises of the heart toward something.”
Among the affections he identifies are love, desire, hope, joy, gratitude, complacence, zeal, hatred, fear, anger, and grief.
Once we start reading the Psalms with affections in mind, we begin to see just how saturated with affective statements they are. This shows us that prayer is a fitting place to express our affection for God. Prayer is where we tell God that we have “tasted and seen that He is good” and express the delights that arise from knowing Him.
“O God, I Love You!”
The Psalms teach us to speak directly to God about our love for Him. David says, “I love you, O LORD, my strength” (Ps. 18:1). Likewise, Psalm 116:1 says, “I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.”
The Psalms also frequently speak in the language of belonging: I am Yours, and You are mine. This is covenant language. God says, “I will be your God, and you shall be my people,” and God’s people respond by claiming God as their own: “I am yours” (Ps. 119:94).
Prayer is not merely speaking about God; it is speaking to God as the One who has claimed us and whom we have come to love.
“O God, You Are My…”
One of the most striking features of the Psalms is how often they speak of God with imagery: my rock, my strength, my shield, my fortress, my deliverer, my light, my helper.
Psalm 23:1 famously begins, “The LORD is my shepherd.” Psalm 16:5 says, “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup.” Psalm 27:1 declares, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”
In prayer, we say these things and delight in them. There is a kind of relish in the personal language of the Psalms. God is not merely a shepherd; He is my shepherd. He is not merely a refuge; He is my refuge.
“O God, You Make Me Truly Happy!”
The Psalms also teach us to confess that God Himself is our supreme happiness.
Psalm 4:7 says, “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” Psalm 16:11 declares, “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
The Psalms do not merely thank God for the good things God gives. They delight in God Himself. God is the source and substance of joy.
“O God, Your Presence Is Everything to Me!”
This desire for God Himself appears especially clearly in the Psalms that express longing for God's presence. Psalm 42:1–2 compares the soul’s longing for God to a deer panting for flowing streams: “So my soul longs for you, O God.”
Psalm 73:25 gives perhaps the clearest expression of this affection: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.”
This is the language of a heart that has learned that nothing else can satisfy. God is not merely one desire among many. He is the supreme desire.
“O God, I Can’t Get Enough of Your Worship!”
The Psalms also express affection for worship. Psalm 27:4 says, “One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life.”
Psalm 84:1–2 similarly says, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD.”
The psalmist loves being where God is worshiped. He longs to gather with God’s people and to praise God. Psalm 84:10 captures the sentiment beautifully: “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.”
These are not merely statements about the importance of corporate worship. They are expressions of affection for God and for communion with Him.
“I Love the Words You Have Spoken!”
Perhaps nowhere is this affectionate language more extensive than Psalm 119. The psalmist repeatedly tells God how much he loves His Word.
He speaks of delighting in God’s statutes, longing for His commandments, rejoicing in His promises, and considering His Word better than riches. Psalm 119:103 says, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
The Word of God is not merely something the psalmist believes to be true. It is something he loves. He treasures it, delights in it, longs for it, and meditates upon it.
Prayer, therefore, is a place to tell God how much we love His word.
“How I Love Your People, O God!”
The Psalms also teach us to express affection for God's people. Psalm 16:3 says, “As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”
Psalm 133:1 similarly celebrates the goodness and pleasantness of brothers dwelling together in unity.
Love for God naturally produces love for those who belong to Him. The psalmist can speak to God about his affection for God's people because they are God's people.
“I Remember You in the Night”
The Psalms also teach us that affection for God does not end when the day ends. God occupies the thoughts of the psalmist even in the night.
Psalm 63:6 says, “When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night.” Psalm 119:55 likewise says, “I remember your name in the night, O LORD.”
There is something beautiful about this. What occupies our minds when everything else is quiet often reveals what we truly love.
How Should We Respond?
The Psalms convince us that prayer is not merely a time to ask God for things. It is also a time to express our affection for Him—to tell Him that we love Him, delight in Him, desire Him, and treasure all things that relate to Him.
If the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, then we should begin to do that in prayer. So take up the language of the Psalms and make it your own. Tell God what He means to you. Tell Him what you love about Him. Tell Him that He is your portion, your joy, your hope, and your delight.
Perhaps one missing ingredient in our prayers is this: we do not tell God often enough how much we love Him. Let the Psalms teach you to pray affectionately—to delight yourself in the Lord and to express the desires of a heart that has been claimed by Him.
Abounding Grace Radio