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 (ESV)
It is interesting when we open up to one another we may find that we aren’t the only ones feeling a certain way. One thing I found I had in common with others is the thought that I had to be perfect in order to please God and not disappoint Him. Feeling this way created a heavy burden and stole my peace.
I opened the concordance in my Bible and studied peace and God’s love. By doing so I realized that my fear of displeasing the Lord outweighed my understanding of who He is and my worship of Him. Therefore, my pleasing Him or fear of displeasing Him became the idol I spent most of my time with, instead of esteeming Him.
I am grateful the LORD helped me understand that it is not my works throughout my day that pleases Him. He is already rejoicing over me with gladness and loud singing. He will work through me as I manage any tasks of the day. He may change things up that I have planned, and that is okay. I just need to allow Him to quiet me with His love. I replaced the fear of displeasing Him with knowing I am loved.
“Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD.” - Psalm 104:34
Relevant reading: Psalm 91:14; Romans 8: 37-39; Galatians 2:20
Heavenly Father, thank you for Your love and encouragement. Help me to hear Your loud singing over me and let us be glad together.
This devotion by author, Terrie Miles, is exclusively and solely shared with permission to New Beginnings Church. Any unauthorized printed reproduction, sharing or use of this material is prohibited.
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