Van Walton
“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.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
Quietly I entered my son’s room. In the gray shadows I could barely outline the form of his sleeping body. Peace and calm hovered over his bed, a vast difference from the energy that sparked around him in the midst of his active day.
Walking back and forth from the head of his bed to the window where I could look up to the endless sky, I prayed over him and held him up to heaven. I praised God for this precious child, a most wonderful gift to me and my husband. As I listed his wonderful qualities, such as a peaceful nature, a ready smile, always a loyal friend, never an unkind word, I asked God to keep watch over him. I begged for protection. “Don’t ever let anything bad happen to him. Keep him healthy. Most of all keep him close to You, Father. ”
With my prayer over I automatically turned to leave the room. Stepping toward the door, I realized that I didn’t want to leave. I relished the time I could spend just looking at him breathe, while I took in every feature of his innocent face. The simple pleasure of watching him as he lay still filled me with a contentment I longed for but hadn’t known where to find it.
Oh how I loved this boy. Then a tune came to me, a tune I used to sing when he was a baby. “Skinny marinky dinky do, skinny marinky do, I love you. I love you in the morning and I love you in the night…” I finished that song and began another. I don’t know how long I lingered. When I left and closed the door behind me, I felt refreshed, like I had somehow accomplished a good thing.
Look at your children the next time they are sleeping. Watch them in their moments of zero activity. Do they bring you pleasure while they sleep? Doesn’t your heart swell with wonder and overwhelming love? Don’t you smile with joy and pride? Isn’t that unconditional love?
Don’t you think God may very well feel the same way about us? Isn’t that what He’s saying in Zephaniah when He reminds us that He delights in His children?
The Bible says that God loves His children unconditionally. There is nothing we can do to get Him to love us more. He loves us because we are His. Children learn in catechism classes that our “chief aim is to glorify God.” We glorify Him by accepting that we are His and by stepping into relationship with Him.
I find it hard to believe that God can love me, that I can’t earn His love. What about you? Do you really believe that God loves you just the way you are?
Next time you doubt God’s love for you, reject the thought and accept His truth. He rejoices over you with singing!
Dear Lord, Help me know You are good. I can hardly imagine that I would be worthy to approach the King of heaven, yet You encourage a relationship with me. Help me understand and accept that You delight in me. Lord, I know I cannot do anything for You to love me more. I pray my trust and obedience would be an acceptable offering. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
Related Resources:
Do You Know Him?
Building the Christian Family you Never Had by Mary DeMuth
From the Pound to the Palace by Van Walton
Application Steps:
Do you struggle with accepting God’s unconditional love? Conduct a Bible study of your own. In your Bible’s concordance find every instance where God’s love is mentioned. Write the verses and pray, asking God to open your eyes to His love.
Reflections:
If someone you love were to reject your devotion, how would you react?
When you finish a project and the task is completed, don’t you want to admire the finished work? I wonder if that is how God feels about each one of us!
Power Verses:
Genesis 1:31, “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good...” (ESV)
Jude 1:1, “…I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.” (NLT)
1 John 3:1, “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.” (NLT)
“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.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
Quietly I entered my son’s room. In the gray shadows I could barely outline the form of his sleeping body. Peace and calm hovered over his bed, a vast difference from the energy that sparked around him in the midst of his active day.
Walking back and forth from the head of his bed to the window where I could look up to the endless sky, I prayed over him and held him up to heaven. I praised God for this precious child, a most wonderful gift to me and my husband. As I listed his wonderful qualities, such as a peaceful nature, a ready smile, always a loyal friend, never an unkind word, I asked God to keep watch over him. I begged for protection. “Don’t ever let anything bad happen to him. Keep him healthy. Most of all keep him close to You, Father. ”
With my prayer over I automatically turned to leave the room. Stepping toward the door, I realized that I didn’t want to leave. I relished the time I could spend just looking at him breathe, while I took in every feature of his innocent face. The simple pleasure of watching him as he lay still filled me with a contentment I longed for but hadn’t known where to find it.
Oh how I loved this boy. Then a tune came to me, a tune I used to sing when he was a baby. “Skinny marinky dinky do, skinny marinky do, I love you. I love you in the morning and I love you in the night…” I finished that song and began another. I don’t know how long I lingered. When I left and closed the door behind me, I felt refreshed, like I had somehow accomplished a good thing.
Look at your children the next time they are sleeping. Watch them in their moments of zero activity. Do they bring you pleasure while they sleep? Doesn’t your heart swell with wonder and overwhelming love? Don’t you smile with joy and pride? Isn’t that unconditional love?
Don’t you think God may very well feel the same way about us? Isn’t that what He’s saying in Zephaniah when He reminds us that He delights in His children?
The Bible says that God loves His children unconditionally. There is nothing we can do to get Him to love us more. He loves us because we are His. Children learn in catechism classes that our “chief aim is to glorify God.” We glorify Him by accepting that we are His and by stepping into relationship with Him.
I find it hard to believe that God can love me, that I can’t earn His love. What about you? Do you really believe that God loves you just the way you are?
Next time you doubt God’s love for you, reject the thought and accept His truth. He rejoices over you with singing!
Dear Lord, Help me know You are good. I can hardly imagine that I would be worthy to approach the King of heaven, yet You encourage a relationship with me. Help me understand and accept that You delight in me. Lord, I know I cannot do anything for You to love me more. I pray my trust and obedience would be an acceptable offering. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
Related Resources:
Do You Know Him?
Building the Christian Family you Never Had by Mary DeMuth
From the Pound to the Palace by Van Walton
Application Steps:
Do you struggle with accepting God’s unconditional love? Conduct a Bible study of your own. In your Bible’s concordance find every instance where God’s love is mentioned. Write the verses and pray, asking God to open your eyes to His love.
Reflections:
If someone you love were to reject your devotion, how would you react?
When you finish a project and the task is completed, don’t you want to admire the finished work? I wonder if that is how God feels about each one of us!
Power Verses:
Genesis 1:31, “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good...” (ESV)
Jude 1:1, “…I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.” (NLT)
1 John 3:1, “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.” (NLT)
Labels: God's Perspective, Parenting
3 Comments:
I look at my daughter the same way. It makes your heart swell and to know that God loves each of us just as much is an awesome feeling.
That verse is just the greatest. Thank you for sharing it. It will give me strength for a difficult day today.
I am new to your website devotional. Thank you for bringing God's precious Word to me today.
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