‘As the deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you, O God’. (Psalm 42:1)‘For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.’ (Zephaniah 3:17 NLT)
Often the mother of a newly born baby will place her child in its cot and sing a lullaby over him or her. It’s a soothing song, which in some societies passes down cultural knowledge or tradition. It can also support the development of communication skills, but perhaps one of the most important uses of lullabies is as a sleep aid for infants.
I wonder have you ever thought of God singing over us?
That is exactly what this verse is telling us. God’s song over us conveys the message that he is with us, he is mighty to save, he is glad to take great delight in us, and in his unconditional love he calms all of our fears. We will be able to sleep well tonight.
But there is more in this verse. The word ‘rejoice’ has the meaning to ‘spin like a top.’ It contains the suggestion of dancing or leaping for joy, to spin around with intense motion. We are being told that God leaps and spins in circles over His people. God dances for joy because of his people. He is literally jumping for joy over you and me.
Of course some people have a problem seeing God like this, after all, mighty Kings aren’t supposed to act like this, are they? At least that’s what Michal thought when she saw her husband King David dancing before the Lord. Is this an area where David acted after the Lord’s own heart?
In the parables of Luke chapter 15 there is great rejoicing at those who were lost being found. In verse 10 we are told ‘there is rejoicing in the presence of [before (YLT)] the angels of God over one sinner who repents’ (Luke15:10 NIV)
. The question is, if the rejoicing is in the presence or before the angels, and they are watching, who is doing the rejoicing?
Let me suggest that our Father God gets so excited every time the lost are found, the blind see, the sick are healed, or the captive is set free, that he rejoices by singing and dancing over us.
It’s a beautiful picture to contemplate that our God loves us so much that his exuberance just overflows.
I for one am so glad that God has made a song and dance over me. How about you?
Prayer
Father thank you that your perfect melody, harmony and choreography is singing and dancing over me. Thank you for including me in your song and inviting me into your dance so that we can rejoice together throughout eternity.
Amen.
Have a good week rejoicing.
Pastor Barry
