Quieted in Loved

We can quickly be disturbed by what we read or see in the news - the violence in our schools, the political and economic conditions and natural disasters wiping away homes and destroying lives. We may be anxious for our jobs wondering if this is the day we receive a pink slip. Our family members may undergoing stressful events such as an illness, strained relationships and other trying circumstances.

God has a remedy, a precious promise for us found in Zephaniah 3:17.

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 (NIV). In these trying and difficult days, we need to declare these truths.

1. Emmanuel, God is with us (Matthew 1:23). We are not alone God is an ever present help in time of need. He is a just a whisper away. Lord, help us, we need You in this hour!

2. He is mighty to save. When we feel as if we are going under for the last time, God has more than enough strength to lift us up. Remember Peter walking on the water? When he looked about him seeing the waves and feeling the stormy winds, his eyes were on the conditions around him, not on Christ. It says in Matthew 14:31, immediately Jesus reached out His hand. The Lord will keep us from sinking in the seas of despair and despondency. Rather let's use this opportunity to trust Him more and rest (yes, rest) in His power to deliver!

3. God delights in us. What joy and pleasure in the thought that God delights in us. Even in the midst of pain, difficulty and mounting fears, nothing can separate us from His love. To think we bring Him pleasure by simply placing our hands in His mighty grasp and say, God we give you full control of our lives! Take us, lead us, guide us!

4. His love quiets our heart. There is no sweeter, greater and richer love than God's love. His love is not earned or deserved and it's not conditioned on how well we are doing, but simply because He loves us. His love gives us confidence that overrides our hearts that can easily be weighed down by guilt, shame and condemnation (I John 3:20).

5. God sings over us. Songs of victory and joy! Songs of a bright, glorious future.
Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. Psalms 42:8 (KJV).

This is a message from the Lord to someone: I give you peace not as the world gives, but lasting peace. Rest your head, my beloved. The fever of fear, I will wipe away from your mind, and your heart will be calmed. The tears you shed in the dark will be turned to joy in the morning - for my joy is your strength!