The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you.
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing. (Zephania 3:17)
Life has been busy here in B Manor lately. Hattie is back in full swing at school. Sophie turned three - and has the attitude to prove it. And I am now watching two sweet babies through the week - Eli is almost 7 months old and Alexis is about 3 months old. And, on top of all of that, my photography dream is coming into fruition. I have been busily taking and editing pictures for engagements, newborns, Christmas cards and birthdays, as well as family reunions and the average family photo.
So, yeah, like I said, life has been busy.
But life has been good too.
Because HE is good ... ALWAYS good.
Last month we started our fall Bible study at church. We are about halfway through Beth Moore's study on the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac & Jacob) and it is sooooooo good. And between that and the sermon series on the 10 Commandments at church, God is rocking my world.
Last week's video touched on the Inheritance that is passed down through the spiritual children of Abraham. Beth (yeah, we are on a first name basis - she is my Pbff, after all!) was discussing how the land was split twelve ways. I always thought twelve sons, twelve tribes, twelve portions, right? Nope. Joseph's portion (because he was the "favorite" son) was doubled - split between his sons - taking up two portions. And the Levites received no portion of the land because they were set apart as Holy priests over ALL of the land and were scattered amongst the other tribes to live.
But, before you think that the Levites were robbed, just think about that for a minute. No, they did not receive a portion of the land ... because GOD was their portion. GOD was the spiritual Inheritance bestowed upon the Levites. WOW!
And what is even better than that? WE, not being physical descendants of Abraham but spiritual descendants THROUGH Christ, also receive a portion. A Spiritual portion.
OUR portion, like the Levites, is God Himself.
And ... here is the kicker ... WE are HIS.
He loves us. We are created for love. Created for communion. Fellowship with HIM. We are His portion.
So, while that was blowing me away, God was preparing more...
Last year I was trying to memorize two verses a month ... I did not do very well at all. So, earlier this year, I decided that I needed to get serious about storing God's word in my heart. And I began to start over. The first verse I chose was Zephania 3:17. And I thought I had it down. But last week when I was trying to go over my verses, that was the one that I could not recall so I decided to pick it apart line by line and really study it.
And, oh.my.WORD. How He has been speaking to my heart in these words in the last week.
The Lord your God is with you ... WITH me, yes. And IN me. Because of Christ's sacrifice, I carry the Holy Spirit in me - HE is with me.
He is mighty to save ... YES! He has saved me - from my sin, from my enemies and, even - no, ESPECIALLY - from myself. Praise Him!
He will take great delight in you ... Remember, WE are His portion. He has CHOSEN us. He loves us. He saves us. PRAISE HIM!
He will quiet you with His love ... Oh, the peace to be found in Him. The joy. The love. Oh how He both stirs and quiets my soul. Oh, the privilege it is to simply rest in His love.
He will rejoice over you with singing ... THIS is the part that brought me to my knees. HE will sing over me! My very favorite part of a worship service is the singing. I LOVE to lift my voice in praise to Him. To sing of His power, might, tenderness, love and glory - oh, it is soooo powerful to me. And then to even begin to comprehend that HE chooses to sing over me. To rejoice over me. Lord, let it be. You are so good and faithful.
So, I was talking about this on Sunday and our worship pastor Aron commented that he loves this verse too. And how he loves when he (aron) sings songs over his children (Belle, 4 and Judah, 1) and they dance in joy and just LOVE it. But then he talked about how when his son is upset, he can almost always calm him with a simple song.
And THAT is how God loves us. He rejoices over us with songs that make us dance with joy, but when our souls are in turmoil, He quites us with his love ... maybe even a love song sung into our hearts and souls. I LOVE the word picture of the King of Kings cradling me in His arms singing softly "Jesus loves me, this I know ... ". Reminding me that He is, indeed, mighty to save.
Oh, He is good.
Lord, let me rest in those arms, listen for the whisper of Your song and rejoice over you as YOU rejoice over me. Let me always remember that YOU are my portion ...
... and I am Yours.
Yes, YOU are good.
