“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Have you ever stopped to think about the magnitude of what Zephaniah 3:17 says? It was not that long ago that I was praying that verse over our kids as they slept, and it literally stopped me right in my tracks. It had been a long gloomy day and I was praying that they would know that even in the days when they might feel lonely and unseen by others, they are never alone…God is always in their midst, a Mighty Warrior that saves.
I want our kids to know they have a God who knows the depths of their souls and rejoices over them with gladness. I want them to know that there is no place that His love won’t reach and no fear that His love can’t quiet. As I started praying the last part of that verse, it grabbed me like never before, “Lord Jesus, I pray that my kids would know that You, the Creator of the universe, rejoices over them with gladness.” It was in that moment that my heart could hear God’s whisper, “Gina, that is also how I feel about you!” and at that moment I became a bit undone.
What was it about hearing the truth of those words that touched a tender and raw place in my heart? Well, I am glad you asked. It had been a long day. It had been one of those days that started out with not so great news followed by plenty of uncertainty. The kind of days when you are tired even before you get out of bed. Yeah, those days. I could feel my anxious heart thumping fast and my wondering thoughts starting to, well, wander off.
In the rush of that morning and everything that had come with it, I could hear the Lord’s gentle whisper every time I walked past my open Bible laying on the table inviting me to come sit with Him. Yet in the midst of my frustration, all I had offered Him was a half-hearted “Good morning, Lord,” and off I went to tackle the craziness of the day…on my own strength, which only causes for my already weary heart to feel wearier and heavier. Unfortunately, I chose to walk the entirety of my day that way. It wasn't one of my wises decisions. But now here I was at the end of an exhausting day (in every sense of the word), making my last round before going to bed myself, kneeling by each one of the kid's beds praying Zephaniah 3:17 over them when the Lord starts to whisper the verse back to me.
“Gina, I am the LORD your God Who is with you always. I am a mighty warrior ready to fight the battles for you and save you. Gina, I rejoice over you with gladness; and will quiet you with my love. And when you feel your weakness rearing its ugly head and you feel the heaviness of heart you chose to turn your heart back towards me, I will exult (rejoice) over you with loud singing.”
Sweet mercy! Have you stopped to take that in yet? Have you stopped to think the magnitude of what God is saying and doing here? Listen close friend, it doesn't matter where your wandering thoughts have wandered off, it doesn't matter how long you have been “gone,” be it a year or a day; when we turn our wandering thoughts and weary heart back to Him, not only does He receive and welcomes us in, God, the Creator of the universe, the One that put every star in its place, the One that tells the sun when to rise and when to set every day, the One that no detail of our day escapes Him and to Whom all things are possible, yeah, that same God sings about me...about you. He rejoices over us, His creation with not just a smile which that would be enough. But no, He makes Himself available and restores the craziness of our days. When we turn towards Him and accept His invitation to come instead of offering Him a half-hearted “Good morning, Lord,” the Word of God tells me that His love casts away all fears and He exults, He rejoices, over us with singing. WOW!
God sings over you and me! What a mighty God we serve!
Have you turned your heart towards Him today? I sure hope so!
Blessings to you,
Gina
