The Parental Side of God

Several special days occur in May, such as May Day, Cinco de Mayo, Occidental Community Church's picnic and Mother's Day. A huge thank you to all moms! In honor of mothers (and fathers since Father's Day is next month) I want to focus on a verse in the Old Testament that describes the parental side of God. Zephaniah 3.17 "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."

Nothing is more comforting to a child than the mere presence of mom or dad. God is always with us. His presence is never passive, but active. We see this in the actions described in this verse. God is mighty to save. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work within us. We may face difficult challenges and possibly face defeat or failure, yet God is with us and He is able to save. God can turn any negative into a positive.

Parents take great delight in their children. At birth, moms and dads count toes and fingers numerous times. They even will wake the baby up, just to make sure everything is ok. They delight in their child at birth and that continues even into adulthood. Parents delight in their children even during the teen years. If you are a parent of a teenager, I simply refer you back to the preceding paragraph. God delights in us. He made us, redeemed us, called us. We belong to Him. God rejoices over you each and every day.

God also quiets us with his love. A child can get all worked up. It is the soothing love of a parent that will calm the child down. God's love is much deeper than any parent's love for their child. It would be hard to imagine how much God does love us except for the fact that He sent His Son Jesus to earth to die on the cross for our sins. The reason for this gracious act is that God loves us.

When my children were young, I would carry them in my arms and lean them upon my shoulder. I would often sing to them to quiet them as well as calm my own nerves. Singing is a wonderful way to express emotion and prayer requests. God rejoices over us with singing. I wonder what song God sings over you? Whatever song it is, it expresses God's heart for you! God rejoices over you. He is with you. He is able to save, in fact mighty to save. God takes great delight in you, loves you and rejoices over you in song.

Why not take a few moments right now and thank God for being your "heavenly Father."

Blessings,
Pastor Pete