GOD HAS A CONSTANT AND ENDURING LOVE THAT WANTS THE BEST FOR YOU!

SCRIPTURE:
"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)

MEDITATION:
If you have children, maybe you remember when he or she was a small baby.
Sometimes you would quietly sneak into their room 
just to watch them sleeping.
During the night, you may have gone to their room 
almost in a state of panic, because you knew it was time for feeding 
but you had not heard your child making any sounds.

When you arrived at the crib, you checked to see if your baby was breathing.
As soon as you rested your hand on their chest and felt the gentle rhythm 
of it rising and falling, your worries melted away 
and you knew everything was okay.
Your panic was gone and you stood there for a while 
just watching your baby sleep.

The love and joy you felt at that moment was almost overwhelming.
You may have wondered how you could love someone so much.
There were those times when you wanted to be near your little child 
just to enjoy the smiles and calm them in times of despair.

As you held your baby, you may have whispered prayers, 
for them to know Jesus and love Him with all their hearts. 
You possibly asked ask God to calm their fears, fulfill their dreams, 
and establish their steps to walk in His ways.

Children grow up too fast and soon become teenagers.
And when they do, you find yourself again 
sneaking to their bedroom door to pray for them.
Your heart feels just as full as it did when they were little.

It wasn’t necessarily because 
they were doing anything to make you feel proud or happy.
In fact, there were times 
when they would do things that took you to your wits end.

But regardless of those days, 
you still found delight in them because they are yours.
You knew, and were very thankful, 
that they were God’s gift from Heaven to you.

Aren’t you glad that God feels the exact same way about you and me? 
He loves to be with us and watch over us, even while we're sleeping. 
It's not because we are doing anything for Him, 
but simply because we are His. 
We probably disappointed Him during the day, 
but it doesn't change how He feels about us.

God wants us to know every day that He delights in us.
With His love, He is there daily 
to quieten our fears, concerns, insecurities and doubts. 
Just imagine the beautiful and joy-filled songs He sings over us; 
songs that are written just for us to describe 
the beautiful person He has created us to be.
He constantly reminds us of His presence and gently leads us 
to know and rely on His love more and more each day.

ACTION:
When things are not going right, when problems seem overwhelming, 
and when you feel your heart cannot be broken any more, 
God is there to remind you of His love and presence.
Think back about your love for your own child, and remember 
that Your Heavenly Father loves and delights in you even more than that!

If you have never had a child of your own, 
then reread this devotional and imagine 
the outpouring of love from a parent as he or she stands over their child.
Additionally, visualize your own parent standing at your bedside 
with a heart bursting with love for you.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that You are always with me. 
Thank You for watching over me every minute of the day, even while I am 
sleeping. Help me to understand, appreciate, and completely believe the 
truth about Your love for me! Teach me to allow Your love to flow through 
me and touch others.”