A Heart In Love
“I love you, Lord, my strength.” Psalm 18:1
In all of Scripture, no one expressed love for God with the depth, passion, and vulnerability that David did!
His psalms are not just poetry; they are love letters, honest, and full of longing. David wasn’t merely a king or a warrior; he was a lover of God, and his words overflowed with devotion.
Though others served God, prophesied in His name, or performed great miracles, David stood apart. He lived in communion with God. In joy and in despair, in sin and in triumph, David ran to God, not out of duty, but out of deep, personal love. No wonder Scripture calls him “a man after God’s own heart” 1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22. That heart was full of desire for God’s presence, voice, mercy, and nearness.
Psalm 116:1 “I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice…”
David loved God because he knew God. Not as a distant deity, but as a Father who listens. He poured out his soul in song and in silence, and God met him there.
Psalm 63:3 “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”
David’s highest treasure was not his throne or his victories, it was God’s love. He saw God not as a means to an end, but as the end itself.
Psalm 42:1–2 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you…”
His love for God created a thirst that nothing else could satisfy. He didn’t just want answers or blessings, he wanted God.
Psalm 27:4 “One thing I ask… that I may dwell in the house of the Lord… to gaze on His beauty.”
David’s pursuit was singular. He didn’t just want to serve God; he wanted to be with God, to look upon Him, and never leave.
Psalm 18:1 “I love you, Lord, my strength.”
This wasn’t a passing feeling. It was a declaration of dependence, affection, and total surrender.
David shows us what it looks like to truly love God, not just with service, but with affection. His love was not cold or formal; it was vibrant, poetic, messy, real. He teaches us that God desires hearts that burn for Him, voices that cry out to Him, and souls that rest in Him.
Lord, give me a heart like David’s, bold in love, honest in expression, unashamed to long for You. May I not only serve You but delight in You. Let my life be a song of devotion, a reflection of deep love for the One who first loved me. Amen.