Contentment

Contentment

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.

Zephaniah 3:17, NIV

Zephaniah, an Old Testament prophet, didn’t have an easy job. He needed to deliver bad news (that judgment was coming) before he could deliver good news (that salvation would follow). As you can probably guess, the verse above falls in the “good news” section of the prophet’s book.

Zephaniah liked to use allusion, a literary device that makes indirect reference to another person, place, or event. This verse from his book is pregnant with allusion to a mother’s love for her child and the contentment found in the mother-child relationship. Even though this short verse has only thirty-three words, it paints such a beautiful picture of our relationship with God that we’re going to concentrate on it for the next three days.

The Lord your God is with you.

When I was a new mom, no one could keep me away from my baby. Even if I took a brief trip to the grocery store while my husband stayed home with our sleeping baby, I was anxious to shop quickly and get back home. If another infant in the store started crying, I was in trouble. My milk began to “let down,” and I had the sudden urge to bolt home. I loved being with my baby, and sometimes it was difficult to be apart.

Isn’t it curious that one of the names for Christ, first spoken by the prophet Isaiah, was Immanuel, meaning “God with us”? If I, an imperfect mom, could take so much pleasure in being with my baby, imagine how much pleasure God takes in being with me! What a comforting realization.

Father,

Thank you that you want to be with me. That thought brings me great contentment and security. In Jesus’ name, amen.