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. Zephaniah 3:17
Each Christmas season I try to find an Advent devotional to direct my time with the Lord. As I was reading the passage above this morning, my daughter Shelby sat behind me at the kitchen table saying the same word on repeat. Shelby is 25 and has special needs. Today the repeated word is “sure”. Over and over again. I struggle to concentrate on anything important when she gets in these loops, but today, as He has so many times before, God the Father used Shelby to teach me something.
I thought of the many times I have shushed my girl through the years. Too many to count – in one day. And I often follow it up with a perfunctory, “it’s ok”, since she is often triggered into this repetition by something she finds distressing. Like dropping a toy or being unable to scoop the last bite of dinner onto her fork. My paltry attempts at comfort don’t always work, but sometimes hearing the sound of her momma’s voice seems to put her world in order again.
With these thoughts running thru my head, “he will quiet you by his love” from Zephaniah captured my imagination. I thought about how often I am loud because I’m mad, frustrated, anxious and complaining. Too often to count – in one day. But if I listen for the voice of my Father, I’m certain I can hear Him say, “Shhh. I’ve got this.” Or “it’s ok”. Nine times out of ten my trigger doesn’t disappear in that moment. But hearing the sound of my Father’s voice can put my world in order again. Because it reminds me of who He is. How He holds the power of life and death and that He is the one who is in control.
Maybe your Christmas season is not a magical sugar-coated, snow dusted movie this year. So many of us are stressed or hurting or grieving. But maybe Zephaniah 3:17 can remind us that we have a Father who loves us. And His love can quiet our fears and disappointments. If you get still for just a moment, I pray you will hear the same words I have, “Shhh. I’ve got this.” And maybe this time we will truly hear it.
Merry Christmas.
