The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
— Zephaniah 3:17
Did you know God loves to love His children? I know you probably thought, “Well, no duh, Larry,” but I mean look at what this verse says.
THE Lord MY God is in the midst of me … that means He is with me … He wants to be with me! He is Emmanuel, God with Me! Oh, and He is Mighty!
Ever feel overwhelmed or filled with doubt or fear? Well, just remember the Mighty God of ALL Creation is with you, a sinner, and it is His choice to do so.
So, the Mighty Creator God who loves me is with me and has every intent to save me from my fear or doubt. He will save me from temptation and oppression. He will do it and REJOICE when He does it.
Why? Because we choose whether or not we will be saved from our plight by Him or whether we will we give in to the temptation or oppression. Will we succumb to the fear and/or doubt?
When we choose to be saved by Him (this means we trust Him to deliver us from whatever it is that is trying to take us from being with Him) it brings Him joy. He then “rests in His love” … I hope you know that is a we thing not a He thing!That means I trusted His love and He manifests His love to us.
Then we get the kicker … imagine you’re in Heaven and you’re just walking the streets of gold listening to Peter regale you with how many fish were in the net and how the water felt under his feet, when all of a sudden you hear Jesus singing at the top of His lungs, “Glory be to God, my child has chosen Me! They trusted and obeyed as I set them free! Glory to the Father whose Grace will supersede, any situation and no matter how great the need!”
Then the angels chime in and start singing with Jesus, all because I trusted Him to do what He promised He would do.
Did you know God wants to be with you?
Larry Hof is pastor of Faith Baptist Church north of Greenfield. This weekly column is written by local clergy members.
