40 Days of Encouragement
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of Encouragement
Day 16| THE LORD SINGS OVER YOU
40 Days of Encouragement
Day 16| THE LORD SINGS OVER YOU
THE LORD SINGS OVER YOU
Zephaniah 3:17
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (ESV)
We often underestimate the JOY God has for His people… His children, like you and me. It’s easy to feel that God is displeased or irritated with us because we’re imperfect.
Charles Spurgeon once said: “Faulty as the church is, the Lord rejoices in her. While we mourn, as well we may, yet we do not sorrow as those that are without hope; for God does not sorrow, his heart is glad, and he is said to rejoice with joy – a highly emphatic expression.”
Then too, we don’t often think of God singing, but we DO, and we’re made in the Image of God, right? So here we learn that God SINGS over His people. We apparently give the Lord much joy and delight, so He sings over us as we might sing over our baby or little children. (When our daughters were young, my wife Debbie sang over each of them with made-up songs using their names. Very sweet!)
Spurgeon also said, “If God sings, shall not we sing? He did not sing when he made the world. No, he looked upon it and simply said that it was good. The angels sang, the sons of God shouted for joy: creation was very wonderful to them, but it was not much to God, who could have made thousands of worlds by his mere will. Creation could not make him sing… When all was done, and the Lord saw what became of it in the salvation of his redeemed, then he rejoiced after a divine manner.”
So, encouragement – to yourself or others – can come from singing more! Whether at home, in the car, or at church, use your God-given voice to “make a joyful noise, unto the Lord!”
Prayer: LORD, thank You for music and the ability to sing. Help me always to use my voice to bless and encourage others, as You use Yours to bless me. Amen.
Zephaniah 3:17
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (ESV)
We often underestimate the JOY God has for His people… His children, like you and me. It’s easy to feel that God is displeased or irritated with us because we’re imperfect.
Charles Spurgeon once said: “Faulty as the church is, the Lord rejoices in her. While we mourn, as well we may, yet we do not sorrow as those that are without hope; for God does not sorrow, his heart is glad, and he is said to rejoice with joy – a highly emphatic expression.”
Then too, we don’t often think of God singing, but we DO, and we’re made in the Image of God, right? So here we learn that God SINGS over His people. We apparently give the Lord much joy and delight, so He sings over us as we might sing over our baby or little children. (When our daughters were young, my wife Debbie sang over each of them with made-up songs using their names. Very sweet!)
Spurgeon also said, “If God sings, shall not we sing? He did not sing when he made the world. No, he looked upon it and simply said that it was good. The angels sang, the sons of God shouted for joy: creation was very wonderful to them, but it was not much to God, who could have made thousands of worlds by his mere will. Creation could not make him sing… When all was done, and the Lord saw what became of it in the salvation of his redeemed, then he rejoiced after a divine manner.”
So, encouragement – to yourself or others – can come from singing more! Whether at home, in the car, or at church, use your God-given voice to “make a joyful noise, unto the Lord!”
Prayer: LORD, thank You for music and the ability to sing. Help me always to use my voice to bless and encourage others, as You use Yours to bless me. Amen.