“The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing” {Zephaniah 3:17}. 

So I sort of took a cue from A.V. … her One Word for the year. 

I have a Word. I have been looking for it as I read through my Bible this year. {I’m a little behind, thanks for asking} … on December 31, I will have a jewel box of scraps, verses, all stilling my soul … making me quiet. 

Quiet, that’s my word.

{Quiet in my soul, not my mouth, because I probably won’t ever stop talking …}

Now, I am definitely not in Zephaniah yet, but this happens to be one of my favorite verses and I wanted to dig deeper, to know how, why … what does it mean?

The larger context of this verse and the verses around it are an expression of a Heavenly Father and His passionate love for His people … makes sense.

Then it took a turn I didn’t expect.

Because I was making this about me. I want to be quiet, I want to be still, free from worry … to bid my anxious fears goodbye. {What I really want is my life to be easier, but that’s really selfish and I am embarrassed to admit that … }

The literal translation of the text here is “He is silent in His love” …

“He will rest in his love, will be silent in his love, so the word is. ‘I will not rebuke thee as I have done, for thy sins …’” {from Matthew Henry Commentary}. In plain english, He makes no accusation against us for our sins. 

The gospel is here … I have been told … and proclaimed myself … that the Bible tells the story of Jesus from beginning to end. From Genesis to Revelation, it is about the sacrifice, the saving grace of His Son, Jesus the Christ.

Here, here I see it. In a little book of prophecy in the Old Testament. He makes no accusation against us. Because we are presented clean, washed with the blood of Christ, sinners no more.

I want it to be about me, about how I feel.

No.

This is about the magnitude of a Gift beyond compare, a Son he offered, a sacrifice made that enables Him to rejoice in my repentance, to love me as a groom loves His bride.

And this, this picture of the gospel tucked away in Zephaniah … this stills my soul. Not because I feel better.

Because I am in awe. 

Humbled by a God who delights in mercy {Micah 7:18}.

~M.

You should go and listen to the song “Sing Over Your Children” by Matt Maher. Couldn’t find an official video, but really, take the time to listen.

{In the interest of truthfulness, I still want those things .. to be still, to be quiet, to be free from worry and anxiety … and those are promises offered us in Scripture. But all for His glory, not my comfort. Come December 31, I promise I’ll share}.