Those of us who are married know that of all the gifts we could give to our spouse, the one they want the most is ___________ . If you filled in the blank with the word “time,” you probably have a good marriage! After 32 years of marriage, I would go so far as to say that the language of love is time! My wife’s certainty of my love for her is strengthened and confirmed by the amount of quality time I spend with her; she is glad to be with me for shopping and errands, but what she mostly wants is personal talk-time about us and our future together.
I submit to my readers that our heavenly spouse feels much the same. The time we spend in church or even in ministry is like shopping and errands; He is glad to be with us there, but that is our “reasonable service.” What He mostly wants is personal talk-time about us and our future together. Allow me a chance to illustrate…
In 1 Samuel 13:14, God calls David, “a man after my own heart.”
So, what made David so special to God? Was it his courage in facing Goliath? Was it the great military victories he won? Perhaps it was the humility he showed when fleeing from Saul? It was none of these because at the time when Samuel described David this way, David had not yet done any of these things. So, what had David done to become so dear to God? You can probably guess by now… he had spent much time with Him!
Time is something shepherds have in abundance. They must stay awake all night to keep watch over their sheep. There is no one else around or awake to talk to.
Talking to your sheep is a b-a-a-a-d habit to get into (sorry, couldn’t resist that)!
So, David chose to spend his nights with God, observing His wonders in the sky, singing His praise, and seeking His presence! But here is the point…this time was not only precious to David and his faith; it was also precious to God and His conviction of David’s love for Him.
Remember this, that our God is a jealous God; jealous for our allegiance, jealous for our service and jealous for our time. By devoting so much of his time to the Lord in the night watches, David brought great pleasure and joy to the Savior! David also continued this habit once he became king. In Psalm 55:17, he says this:
“I speak to God morning, noon, and night.
I tell him what upsets me, and he listens to me!” (ERV)
We often struggle to find the time to seek God’s face even once a day, let alone 3 times each day! David was a king, busy with many important matters of state, but he was faithful to seek the Lord, the object of his love, morning, noon and night! This is how God knew that David was after His (God’s) heart.
With all this in mind, let me ask my readers a question to consider as we begin a new year…
“Would you like for God to call you a man or a woman after His own heart?”
If you do, David has given us the secret to achieving this noble goal!
I first was struck by Psalm 55:17 some years ago, and it has changed how I seek the Lord since that time. I used to try to sit with my Bible for an hour each morning before my workday. I discovered two things. For one, I am not a morning person!
I was giving the Lord “first fruits” of my time, but not “best fruits.” Secondly, I discovered that I LEAK! Even after an entire hour in my devotions, it would be about 3-4 hours later that I started detecting “leaks.” The level of God’s Spirit within me decreased, and I could hear it in my conversation and in my thoughts.
Then I found Ps. 55:17, and here are the changes I made…
The Jewish day begins at sundown of the previous day. That is why David writes “evening, morning and noon….” So, my goal is to spend 20 minutes with the Lord before my bedtime. I have found the result to be two-fold. My sleep is better with fewer bad dreams to disturb it, and secondly, I feel more inclined to get back to the Lord in the morning! Then, at mid-day, I spend the first 15-20 min. of my lunch-time with my Bible before I eat. Effectively, I have taken the original hour of prayer and split it up into three sessions of 20 min. each. I have discovered that I leak a lot less and feel a lot closer to God throughout my day. Another benefit of this routine is that I am more sensitive to witnessing opportunities when they arise.
Previously, I stated that my spouse is looking for more than just time, but for “quality time.” I believe it is the same with the Lord. He knows the difference!
“Come into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise” (Ps. 100:4) before you start with your petitions. Read your Bible, but do it with a notebook or a color-coded system of highlighting to make your reading time more meaningful.
And don’t forget to include personal talk-time about Him and your future together. Always remember that Jesus is your beloved fiancé, not just your friend!
One book of scripture you may not have read in a while is the “Song of Songs.”
I recommend you read it through again soon and recognize that the female lover can be understood to be the church (you!) while the male lover can be seen as Christ Himself! That is why, in Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) 2:10a, the male lover says this:
“My beloved speaks and says to me,
‘Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away…’”
Yes – – we are the Bride of Christ, and our time spent with Him should reflect a personal and intimate type of conversation befitting two lovers betrothed to be joined eternally! That is how David spoke to the Lord in the psalms, and that is the pattern for us to follow if we want to be known as people after God’s own heart!
I know all this may seem to be a difficult standard to attain. I am not there yet either, but, as Paul said in Philippians 3:14, “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
Just as friends become lovers and lovers become betrothed, there is a natural progression to our relationship with Jesus. Let’s aspire higher because, as Paul wrote in Eph. 3:19, the goal is
“…to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
So, dear friends and fellow pilgrims, as we launch into another new year, why not join me in my aspiration to become a man/woman after God’s own heart? We can start by following David’s example and give to the Lord what He wants the most… our time! From out of time spent with Christ will come a greater love for Christ, and from our greater love for Christ will come our greater obedience to Christ. This will bring us greater rewards in heaven and, most importantly, much pleasure and joy to the heart of our Savior God! Let’s speak to God in His love language in 2026!
Asher Mandel ([email protected])
The post Speaking God’s “Love Language”! :: By Asher Mandel appeared first on Rapture Ready.
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