He Has Set His Love on Me

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
—Psalm 91:14-16 (NKJV)

A story is told about an orphanage where babies were not thriving. There simply wasn’t enough time or staff to do anything beyond giving just the bare, basic care. And yet, the baby in the crib closest to the door seemed to fare better than the others. The nurses decided to rotate the babies around. As a result, each baby placed in that crib by the door began to thrive again. They later discovered that one of the housekeepers stopped by at the end of every day, picked up, and held the baby in the crib by the door. Her love made the difference.

Love, touch, and affection are on par with food, water, sleep, and air as the most basic necessities for our survival. Science and history show that a lack of love, touch, and affection has a profound impact that ranges from failure to thrive to lifelong physical, psychological, and emotional challenges to death.

We all crave love. We all need touch. We all thrive on affection. Jesus understood that. He frequently touched the untouchables, the hurting, and those dying to be loved.

In today’s verses, the Hebrew root word for love is “chashaq,” which means cling to, join with, delight in. What an apt description of the relationship we have with God in Christ when we come to know Him. When we know His Name. When we have an intimacy with Him that invites us to bring all our cares and concerns, our joys and pleasures, our wishes and gifts directly to Him.

Right at the center of all Scripture is love. Jesus often spoke of the importance of loving one another, of the Father’s love for His children, and of the love He bids us to give Him. God doesn’t “need” our love. He longs for our love. He deserves our love.

At first glance, today’s verses could look like a conditional, works-based relationship. “If we … then God will.” The reality is that God promises these benefits to us when we cling to Him. His promises can be found in no other person or place, only in God and in Him alone. He has promises stored up for us with our name on them long before we even realize our need for Him, promises just waiting for us to come to Him.

Yet, it’s not that we come to Him first. We don’t. He draws us to Himself by the power of His Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit’s drawing, we would never know Him. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NKJV). The more He draws us, the closer we draw to Him. The closer we draw to Him, the closer He draws to us. And the closer we are, the more His promises become a reality in our lives. Just look at what He promises in the verse above! If we love God, know His Name, and call upon Him, He will deliver us. He will elevate us, answer us, and be with us in trouble. He will honor us and give us long life. He will satisfy us and show us salvation. Wow!

The question is: will we seek Him? Will we accept Him? Will we lean on and cling to Him? Or will we search elsewhere? What would “elsewhere” offer? The kind of “love” the world offers is, at best, very temporary, conditional, self-centered, and limited. It does not sustain. It does not provide all. It does not seek the best for others. It is a worthless currency. When we lack God’s love, we have nothing to give others. However, when we seek God with all our hearts, we find that He more than supplies our every need—then we have everything to freely give to others.

So many around us need the love of Christ. They need His touch upon their lives. They need the affection of the Father to be a reality in their hearts. They are in our neighborhoods, in our families, our workplaces. Everywhere our feet tread, there they are. Even those who walk through our church doors on Sunday mornings are longing for love.

When the hungry experience the love of Christ through us, they can begin to draw near to God and cling to Him in love. Then, they will thrive. Like the housekeeper at the orphanage, Christ’s love spilled out through us onto others can make all the difference.

Father, thank You for loving me and reaching down to me. Thank You for Your promises upon my life. I know You will never leave me, but don’t let me ever stop clinging to You. I love You, Lord!

In Him,
Donna Perkins

Sweet Selah Ministries

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

 Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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