"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great pleasure in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17
There is a medley of hymns from my childhood that ring clearly in my heart when I close my eyes and listen, even today. They're completely separate tunes but when my mother gathered me in her arms and rocked me, she would string them together as one with but a breath to pause in between. It's impossible to know how often I heard her singing over me but this I know: every time, she comforted me.
Countless times I've gathered my own children in my arms and rocked away the nights in darkened rooms gently whispering that same medley: "Jesus loves me this I know...Oh how he loves you and me...Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. There's just something about that name...On a hill far away, stood and old rugged cross...Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord..." Every time, it quieted them. Every time, I did it in love.
It's been more than a decade since I've had to comfort my children in the middle of the night. I miss those lingering moments after they finally fell asleep when I'd study their little faces, smell their clean baby hair and rejoice that they were part of me.
But now, in stolen moments, I get to draw their children into my arms! There's times they need the comfort of that old familiar string of tunes but mostly I just gather them up in sheer delight to love on 'em; take pleasure in them and rejoice over them with the songs in my heart.
It awes me to know God looks at me the same way...with pleasure...with rejoicing...with singing. I wonder how many lingering moments, when my heart is quieted by His love, does He rejoice over me with singing?
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