It’s important for parents to show love and affection with precious hugs. What about our Heavenly Father’s hugs? Author Stephen Elkins shares an encouraging message of God’s hugs through His affirming Word.  

Adam was God’s greatest “first,” fashioned in the image of the One who made him. Adam was the first man, and he was blessed with some amazing gifts. Take, for example, free will and the capacity to love. Adam was also given emotions. And it happened that one day, maybe much like Valentine’s Day, Adam discovered he had an emotional problem. We understand from Scripture that Adam suffered from a much-too-common emotional condition: He was lonely.  

Adam observed that every animal, bird, and reptile created by God had someone to love and to hug. Each one had a mate with which to share life. But there sat Adam, the first lonely man.

It might appear to the casual observer that God had overlooked this very important emotional detail. But we all know that God was not finished with his “firsts.” Nor is He finished with you or your child’s emotional condition. In Genesis 2:18, God says, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (NIV). Few would argue that point. Child psychologists agree that loneliness is not a good thing. According to Intelligence Quotient Development in Children on eHow.com, “Affection is important, so make sure your child gets plenty of hugs and kisses and hears positive and encouraging words from you.”

This Valentine’s Day, think about how God gives us heavenly hugs through His Word. Here’s an example found in Psalm 91:4: “[God] will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection” (NLT).

Isn’t that the perfect description of a heavenly hug? God is covering us with His wings and wrapping us in armor to protect us from harm and even from things like emotional stress and loneliness. But that’s not all. God’s kind of hug gives us all a sense of affirmation . It says, “I love you and I am with you.”

So remember to give your children hugs often. And affirm them with the words below. Show them how God loves them—and hugs them—by reciting together these special verses from the Bible:

1. You are SPECIAL to ME : “We are God’s masterpiece” (Ephesians 2:10, NLT ).
2. I want to be special to you : “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19, KJV ).
3. You are PRECIOUS to ME : “You are precious in my eyes . . . and I love you” (Isaiah 43:4, ESV ).
4. You are NEEDED by ME : “ God planned for us to do good things” (Ephesians 2:10, CEV ).
5. You are LOVED by ME, JUST the WAY YOU ARE : “Come to me, all of you who are weary” (Matthew 11:28, NLT ).
6. You make ME HAPPY : “[God] will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17, NKJV ).
7. You are SAFE with ME : “You alone, O L ORD , make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8, ESV ).
8. I want to be your FRIEND forever!: “You are my friends” (John 15:14, ESV ).

Rest assured God is acutely aware of your emotional needs. Let Him cover you with His “wings.” God wants to wrap His arms around you and protect your heart with His promises. He wants to give you a great big heavenly hug that says, “I love you. I will never leave you or forsake you.”

May this Valentine’s Day be filled with Heavenly Hugs from your Heavenly Father!

Stephen Elkins is an author, musician, and Grammy-nominated record producer. Elkins is also the author of the bestselling Songs 4 Life: Kids,   Bible Stories That End with a Hug!,   101 Color & Sing Bible Stories,  LullaBible,  and Clifford the Big Red Dog audio series.