21-Feb-15

For the Lord your God is living among you.  He is a mighty savior.  He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears.  He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”  Zephaniah 3:17Zephaniah 3:17 fills the heart with the wonder of God’s love for us.  We know where God is and that He lives — He is living among us and He is our Savior.  If the verse stopped there, it would be enough.  But Zephaniah tells us that He delights in us in us with gladness…. us?  We know we are not delightful creatures, filled with ugliness of sin, doubt and evil, yet God delights in us?  Just when we think that we are at the end of this thing called Hope, God calms our fears with His love.At this moment, I consider the ‘lostness’ of those around me and myself, too.  He calms me and gives me the gift of Hope.  Do you hear His Songs of Rejoicing that that He sings?  Glory, glory, How I love to hear His Songs of Joy that delight me.The question that haunts me when I stray from God is this, Whom have I in heaven but You?  No matter how difficult life on earth becomes, I know that You are the strength of my heart — mine forever.  What else do I need?Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Psalm 73:23-26