What Love Language Does God Speak to You?
One of the pioneers of today’s worship, Judson Cornwall, wrote some of the very first books on the subject. He stated that worship is love expressed. I believe it is one of clearest definitions of Biblical worship. If worship is the attitude of love expressed and if we all have different love languages, what love language do we use in worship to God? What love language does God use to communicate to us? Gary Chapman’s book, The Five Love Languages, says the languages of love are words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch.
"May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." Eph 3:19 NLT
Gary said, “Whether we are young or old, married or single, every human has the emotional need to feel loved. When that need is met, we move out to reach our potential for God and our potential for good in the world. However, when we feel unloved, we struggle just to survive. I believe these truths of the languages of love will give you the skills that lead to love God and letting Him love you."
I have spent much of my ministry and life helping people connect with God through musical praise and worship. But how do we actively give and receive the love of God? Many of us in the western world have never actually taken the time to learn how love works. To grow in love, we need to learn to love each other and God. I believe if we understand the emotional languages of love we can better connect with God in worship. For generations my family have been Mennonites, an Ana-Baptist movement that formed out of the Reformation from a split from Martin Luther and John Calvin over issues like pacifism and separation of church and state. Being a Mennonite for us was not just a denominational preference. It is a cultural identity. If you are Boschman you are Mennonite. Though there are many Mennonite churches experiencing renewal, my experience growing up was somewhat stoic, cerebral, and unemotional. This didn't fit how I was wired. I had a desire to experience God more emotionally. I didn’t understand why I felt that way until I learned what love language I spoke. I gravitated to worship experiences that had more emotional and musical expressions. The worship that was more physically expressive and emotionally felt registered with me. You see my emotional love language is physical touch. I wanted to feel God. Therefore, experiencing His manifest presence enveloping me was very meaningful. What is your emotional love language? What is the emotional love language of those you lead? As parents, managers, pastors, and worship leaders we need to know and to understand how to connect better with those we lead. We need to understand these love languages and how it affects our interaction with God? In some parts of the Church, we often miss the spiritual connection with God in worship that touches our emotions. Perhaps we’re speaking the wrong language. God knows your emotional love language. God is not speaking a language you don’t understand because He knows how you are wired. We all want to feel God’s presence in our lives and that is dependent on knowing how He communicates personally and emotionally to each of us. What is your love language? So how do we need to receive from God? He speaks your own unique love language. To understand what your love language is ask yourself these questions. Have you been a friend to someone in need? How did you express your love to them? What love language resonates with you the most? When you know how you communicate love to another person you care about, by words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, or physical touch then you will know how you feel most loved by God. To be continued… worship love languages. Love Language Test