He will quiet you with His love...

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

This, to me, is one of the most beautiful verses in the Bible. There is assurance in every word...

He is the LORD.
Your God.
He is with you.
He is mighty.
Mighty to save.
He takes delight in you.
Great delight.
He will quiet you.
With His love.
He rejoices over you.
With singing.

This was one of many verses we read during our Bible study this week (Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God - I cannot recommend it highly enough!) and it's one I've loved for years but never fully committed to memory. So that's my plan for the next two weeks. To meditate, internalize, memorize - LIVE this verse. What a beautiful God!

I love words and reading different translations of the Bible always gives interesting insight into a particular verse. I especially loved the Amplified Bible translation of this verse, which goes deeper into the "quieting" of God.

"He will rest [in silent satisfaction]
and in His love He will be silent
and make no mention
[of past sins, or even recall them]."

So much of the time, it is my churning mind, worrying, rehashing or recalling past offenses or sins, that desperately needs quieting. What a beautiful, comforting picture of God's loving care and forgiveness. The Amplified Bible translation goes on to say,

"He will exult over you with singing."

"Rejoice" is defined as feeling and showing great joy and delight. The definition of "exult" goes a step further - it implies elation and celebration as the result of success! God is exulting, rejoicing over us with singing, because He knows the ultimate outcome of our lives - and He sees success in our future. Granted, this is not success by the world's standards, but success by His definition and on His terms. He is faithful. He is good. He is love. And He can be trusted with our lives! Live in this assurance!

My portion forever...

I did actually start this post on March 1, but never got around to finishing it and now, all of the sudden, it's March 4!

Time. It's getting away from me.

I've already been working on these verses, which fall into the category of "Lord, make it so" verses. Kind of like the "instructed tongue" from last month -- I'm not there, but hoping to get there. Anyone know what I mean?

Anyway, here are the verses I'm working on:

"Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever."

Psalm 73:24-25

I'm not sure what exactly drew me to this passage at this time - except a tug to focus on God and God alone. Not His will, not what He can do for me or my family, not even what I can do for Him. I want to seek HIM.

My flesh and my heart my fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. I love how The Message puts this part: "When my skin sags and my bones get brittle, God is rock-firm and faithful." Yep. Good stuff.

I'm a word girl, and the word "portion" intrigues me. The dictionary defines it as a part of a whole; a piece of something. But the Biblical use has a deeper meaning. The Levites - the tribe set aside as priests and temple servants of the God Most High - were not given territory like the other tribes. The Lord was their "portion." They were to rely on Him and He was enough.

Lord, make it so in my life.

(I love the worship song that includes this verse...you can hear it here.)