How to Awaken Your Affection for God
What does it look like for our hearts to be awakened to God’s presence? As King David returns the Ark to Jerusalem, he dances in carefree awe before the Lord. How can we move our hearts to expression like David? This blog explores the transformative power that causes us to crave God’s presence.
A Man After God’s Heart
It has long been stated that King David was a man after God’s heart, despite his imperfections. But David had a heart for God that caused him to pursue, love, and value the things of God. He was desperate for a relationship with God, and in Psalms 63, he shares that his “soul thirsts for you, my flesh longs for you.”
The capacity to long for God’s presence is in all of us, but we must hunger for it!
Lysa Terkeurst says it best in her book, Made to Crave: “God made us to crave—to desire eagerly, want greatly, and long for Him. But Satan wants to do everything possible to replace our craving for God with something else.”
The most sacred object in all of Israel was the Ark of the Covenant, which was also the Holy Presence of God for its people. Every time they saw the Ark, it reminded them that Yahweh was with them in all His power and glory and that He must be the focus of their worship. And when He wasn’t, things did not go so well.
When David decided it was time to bring the Presence of God back into Jerusalem, David hosted a massive parade boasting more than 30,000 men to bring the Ark home.
David wanted the Glory of God back because he craved the presence of the Lord. Bringing the Ark back was the greatest day of David’s life and a great day for the nation. We can learn from David’s desire of what affection for God looks like.
What Does Affection for God Look Like?
1) Affections Are Awakened By Experiencing God’s Presence
“As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord…” 2 Samuel 6:16
Something welled within David that he could not contain or keep a lid on. God was moving on his heart. His affections were awakened!
The Wesley Brothers called Christian conversion “an awakening” and even “a great awakening.” The opposite of being awake is being asleep, so before Christ comes to live within us, our spirits, consciences, senses, and affections are all dozing!
The Apostle Paul describes us as not only asleep but dead. “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.”
When Christ moves upon us, He arouses us from our slumbers. He wakes us up, and everything within us, our spirits, consciences, senses, and affections, follow. We are made alive!
But after He wakes us up, He warms us up! Not only are we no longer asleep, but we’re awake; we are no longer cold but warm. Our hearts are “strangely warmed.” We see David’s affections awakened as he is in the presence of God.
Affections are awakened when Jesus takes us from death to life.
Affections are awakened when we are saved from our sins.
Affections are awakened through the experience of God’s presence.
2) When Affections Are Awakened, Affections Are Expressed
“As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord…” 2 Samuel 6:16
We might express our affection through tears, singing, drawing near God’s presence, or dancing, as in David’s case. The king wasn’t afraid to express his affection for the Lord! He was afraid not to!
On my wedding day, no one thought I would get married, and I was worried that if my wife and I had children, they wouldn’t know whether to call me “Daddy” or “Granddaddy!” But when the bridal processional began, and I saw my bride, Tonya, in her wedding dress, my heart pounded, my palms sweated, and my eyes flooded with tears. There was no way to hold back the Niagra Falls of affection within me.
Do you express your awakened affections?
There’s a Stevie Wonder song entitled: “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” Love is not just an inclination but a demonstration. Through joyful dancing, David demonstrates his love for the Lord and responds to His holy presence.
David was not dancing in his underwear but laid aside his outward garments of royalty that identified him as king to honor being in the presence of the king of kings. He dressed down to honor the Only One worthy of being lifted!
Worship is never worship until affection for Jesus is awakened and expressed. Don’t wait to express your love for the Lord until you feel like it but do it when you don’t feel like it. As you praise, feel the spirit of heaviness fall off! Exchange the weight of your worry with the weight of His glory.
3) Where the “Fear of Man” Reigns, Dead Affections are the Result
“…Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.” 2 Samuel 6:16
When we stand in God’s presence, there will be a response.
But for Michal, there was no response to the Lord’s presence; She’s indifferent and apathetic. The text goes so far as to acknowledge she even despised David for the expression of his affections.
All of God’s people are gathered in an exhilarating worship celebration of God’s presence, and Michal won’t worship. In reality, worship is never worship until affection for Jesus is awakened and expressed.
The presence of the Lord is before her, but her only response is a response based on what people think. She was more concerned about David dancing as an ordinary person beneath his life station than honoring the Lord’s presence. She is so focused on herself and what others think that she misses this extraordinary opportunity to be God-focused.
David responds to her criticism accordingly. “In God’s presence I’ll dance all I want…Oh yes, I’ll dance to God’s glory – more recklessly even than this. I’ll gladly look like a fool.”
Spiritual barrenness results when people’s approval becomes more important than pleasing God. But when pleasing God is our delight, we are filled with the life and love that come from being in His Holy Presence.
TL;DR
King David’s deep affection for God’s presence drove him to pursue it despite his imperfections.
The Ark of the Covenant symbolized God’s presence; David’s grand procession brought it back to Jerusalem, reflecting his fervent desire.
David’s affections were awakened in God’s presence, prompting expressive worship. Expressing love for God, even in adversity, is essential.
David’s wife, Michal, displayed indifference, leading to dead affection due to fear of people’s opinions.
True worship arises when affections for God outweigh worldly concerns.
Related Reading
How to Meet With Jesus by William Merriman
The Joy of Worshipping by Nicki Halford
How Can I Know God by Grant Caldwell