“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 3:17 NLT

a sweet verse that i keep coming back to lately.  a verse i feel like the Father has been speaking over me. an overwhelming truth. 

“for the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior.”

how is it that the creator of the universe is living among us? He is living in our midst. in the midst of the fear & the doubts & the mess,, He is with us. not only that but He never leaves. He redeems and He saves. His name is mighty. His name is powerful. 

“He will take delight in you with gladness.”

the king of kings, the creator of the universe DELIGHTS in me? with gladness?? He sees me. He sees me just as i am and He says i am His beloved child (1 john 3:1),, His handiwork (ephesians 2:10). look at the mountains & the oceans & the flowers & the butterflies && every good and beautiful thing on this earth,, now look at yourself. the same God who created all those things also created you. He created you with great care & detail,, you have been fearfully & wonderfully made (psalm 139: 13-14). He delights in you, His wonderful creation. 

“with his love, he will calm all your fears.”

He calls you to cast all your anxieties on Him (1 peter 5:7). He cares for you. He IS love (1 john 4:8), His love is abundant & perfect,, and perfect love casts out fear (1 john 4:18). there is no fear in love. 

“He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

He sings & dances & shouts with joy over us. how sweet His love is for us. His heart beats with love for us (john 13:15). 

this verse has been given new life,, new meaning. lots of work in shifting how i come to the Father,, how i view His love. He just keeps getting bigger. 

He loves us. He cares for us.He treasures & He cherishes us. His covers us with His love. He showers us with His grace. He gives us rest in His love. His love is good. kind. gentle. joyful. 

we can rest in this truth. the truth that we are loved. that we are cherished. we can rest in His love.