Mystry of love

Is love, in essence, the desire to be loved? I read this book by Syed Fateh Ali Jalalpuri, who has deftly argued that "staunchest of lovers" are the ones who have not been loved during their childhood, or have been victims of social segregation, at some point in life. While this argument might be valid for love between people, can it also be applied to 'love for the divine'?