"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)

I remember those days as if they were yesterday. When each of my three children were babies, I treasured the time I spent rocking them to sleep, singing soft lullabies and trying to lull them into baby dreamland.

I vividly recall how I felt when I sang over them, breathing in their sweet baby aroma, caressing their soft skin and hair, swaddling them close and longing to keep them safe forever and ever. As they looked up into my eyes with sleepy looks, so often tears of joy would trickle from my eyes, and I felt compelled to keep singing and soothing them with the melody.

My mama heart felt overwhelmed. How could I be filled with such joy and love for someone so tiny and new? How could I delight that much over someone who couldn't do anything for themselves, much less for me?

As I read today's key verse, it brought back all these sweet memories, and helped give new meaning to how much God loves His children. In Zephaniah, God is singing because He rejoices over His children, delights in them and feels joy over them.

Zephaniah references a future time when God will have ended His judgment on His children Israel, and they will enjoy a time of blessing and safety from their enemies.

The words of this verse remind us God is with us always, and He is mighty to save. He delights in us and loves us each so much that He sings melodies of love and rejoices over us. This delight is simply because we are His. And just as a mama's voice calms and soothes a child with song, God quiets us with His love and soothes our hearts with His voice.

I love to picture our heavenly Father singing and rejoicing over His children like that. Singing and rejoicing over me, and you.

Sometimes it's hard to understand how God could love us, especially when we consider all the mistakes and times of disappointment we've struggled through. Or, when we feel like we don't measure up because we don't do enough for His kingdom and His glory.

Or when we feel unloved or rejected by others and wonder if God might have abandoned or rejected us as well. What comfort it brings to think about God loving us the same way a mother loves her babies.

As moms, we sing over our babies because we love them, not because they deserve it or can do anything for us in return. They bring delight to our hearts, because they are ours. And the same goes for our heavenly Father when it comes to His own.

God's quiet love and gentle whispers of acceptance and delight are the greatest love song our spiritual ears will ever hear.

Father God, fill me with an overwhelming joy at the thought of how much You love me. When I am feeling unloved or unwanted, fill my spiritual ears with Your beautiful love song and soothe my heart with Your comforting words. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

***

TRUTH FOR TODAY:

Psalm 104:33, "I will sing to the LORD as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath!" (NLT)

RELATED RESOURCES:

If you've ever struggled with understanding how God could love you with such an immense love, your heart will be changed by Tracie Miles' book, Your Life Still Counts: How God Uses Your Past To Create A Beautiful Future.

Visit Tracie's blog to enter to win a special Valentine's Day giveaway to enjoy and share with someone you love.

REFLECT AND RESPOND:

Sometimes February, the month we typically focus on love, can often feel lonely and disappointing. How might focusing on how much God loves and adores you, and sings and delights over you, help change your attitude?

What are some ways you can reach out to someone who might need to be reminded they are loved this month?

© 2016 by Tracie Miles. All rights reserved.