Sing for joy, O Daughter of Zion;

shout aloud, O Israel!

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

O Daughter of Jerusalem!

The LORD has taken away your punishment;

He has turned back your enemy.

Israel’s King, the LORD, is among you;

no longer will you fear any harm.

On that day they will say to Jerusalem:

“Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands fall limp.

The LORD your God is among you;

He is mighty to save.

He will rejoice over you with gladness;

He will quiet you with His love;

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:14-17

I don't know about you, but I've always had a hard time getting my head around the truth packed into this Scripture, but what a treasure it holds!

I grew up in a great family...I was the spoiled baby (I freely admit it, and I think my siblings would agree ;)...but I'm doing much better these days!), I had great siblings, wonderful family vacations, and parents I loved! My dad was part of the “Greatest Generation”...he worked hard at a job he loved, in order to provide well for us all. The only thing I wished I'd had was a closeness with him, an emotional connection. But he was such a good man! I wanted so much to please him and be confident of his love for me, and that moment came in my late 30s, when he told me he loved me and was proud of me. I broke, I wept...I realized that my father really saw me, really cared about me and really loved me. Of course, this was true all along, but I never understood it like I did at that moment.

I realize that not everyone had the same experience with their families as I did, not everyone had loving brothers and sisters, or even a home with both parents present. But even with the blessings that surrounded me growing up, I still spent years walking in the counsel of my own heart...I made so many mistakes, so many foolish decisions, and found myself in so many desolate places; I made ruin of some places in my life. But God really saw me, really cared about me and really loved me...He opened my eyes to see the way He provided for me, paying the penalty for my offense against Him through those dark and desolate days, and clothing me with His righteousness, giving me new life through His Son, Jesus Christ, and making something beautiful out of the life I was living. Such amazing love is beyond my comprehension...He has redeemed the bankrupt days, healed the broken places, and He loves me...He delights in me! In my natural self, I don't understand; but the more I read it and trust the very Word of God, and what it says about HIM (it isn't about me...it's about the way He loves us!), I find myself longing to sit quietly in His love, knowing that in His presence is fullness of joy... I find it welling up in my heart and the things of this life, well, they don't have a hold on me. I long to please my Heavenly Father, not out of compulsion, but because I delight in Him...and He delights in me!