The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."
(Zephaniah 3:17)
A friend of mine had this verse on her Facebook status a couple of days ago. I so wanted to grab onto this verse and hang with it for a few days. As I stare at this verse and ponder, there really isn’t anything else, is there? God is always with me. He is the Mighty Warrior who fights on my behalf and fights for me. He delights in me. He will quiet me with his love. The Amplified Bible says this: He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]. He will rejoice over me with singing.
I admit this is a picture of my God that I have a harder time grasping onto. In this picture there is no worry, no anxiety, no fear. How freeing. I think I’m struck by the contrast in my life.... realizing how much I do worry, how much I do get anxious about things, be they big or small. And how much I do fear. It’s been said countless times that there are 365 “Do not fear’s” in the Bible... one for every day of the year. To me this verse emanates the point of not fearing where I “get it”. What is there to fear? I’m in the arms of my Maker. Is there a battle with my name on it that needs fighting? He is on the front line. And guess what? He wins every time! God does not lose! Though I am not a parent, I think of the moments in life where I delight in someone or something: my dogs, a small child, my husband. In the book that I’m reading right now, there is a conversation that takes place that made me stop and ponder and it speaks to this point of God’s delight in His child:
After slathering myself with more sunscreen, I nestled in my custom-designed space and kept telling Laurie how beautiful the water was.
“You know,” she said. “I think God must really enjoy the way you appreciate His creation so much.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Even in college you were always noticing the moon or the shape of a certain leaf. You appreciate the beauty of creation more than anyone I know. I thought of that the other evening when you read that verse about inviting God to enjoy His creation.”
“Oh, right. In Psalm 104.”
“I’ve been thinking about that, because I know what it’s like to enjoy something I’ve created.”
“Like your photos,” I said.
“Exactly. But what would it be like for the thing that was created to turn around and express mutual enjoyment of the moment to the Creator?”
I wasn’t sure I followed her.
“Think of all the criticism God must hear every day. But not from you, Hope. Every day I hear you express awe and delight for everything around you that He created. You are enjoying His work of art right alongside Him, yet you are part of that work of art. Can you imagine how that must make Him feel?”
I couldn’t.
“I think I understand something I never understood before.”
“What’s that?” The revelations seemed to be coming at Laurie so quickly I couldn’t even try to keep up.
“I think I understand how deeply the Creator must love the parts of His creation that love Him back.” (from Sisterchicks Do the Hula, Robin Jones Gunn)
I find myself identifying strongly in a mix of both characters. Laurie, the photographer, taking great satisfaction out of her art is such a part of who I am. Hope, the appreciator of Creation, is also my heart as I stare at a sunrise or sunset, the moon, the way flowers are blooming, dew on leaves... I try desperately to understand the Creator more. But by turning my delight of what God has created to Him, I am delighting not only in what He has made, but also delighting in Him. I think in turn He delights in my delight. And I need to just delight in that! (Got it?) (Of course, He delighted in me way back before I could ever delight in Him.)
The last part of the verse.. God will rejoice over me with singing. Wow. God created music. So my logic says He’s got the best singing voice of all. I think of the times in my life that I sing.... I can’t even imagine the sound of His voice, and to think He sings over me! Anyone who has memories of a parent singing over them knows it’s one of the most treasured memories a person can have.
When I have thought about this verse over the last couple of days, I have been reminded to accept the peace that only God can give. Abide in Him. And enjoy Him as He delights in me. Pretty cool stuff. I can’t wait for eternity. As much as I try to shed the chains of anxiety, worry and fear, on this earth, I know I will be able to shed those chains permanently in Heaven. For now, I will allow this verse to wash over me and remind me that I can, in fact, shed those chains here and now and savor the Love that is beyond my comprehension.
Father, I just am in awe of You. I treasure the day that I will see Your face and be swept up in Your arms. For now, I thank You that You have given me Your Word and it says I am already in the palm of Your Hand. Thank You for Your creation -- it delights me so. Help me to always turn that delight back to You. You are with me always and You are my security. In Your Son’s Mighty Name, Amen.
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