Experiencing God's Presence #280

The LORD your God is living among you. . . . He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.

Zephaniah 3:17

What would a God who sings over His people say to them? “I want My people to see Me through the right lenses. Most of them don’t know that I rejoice over them with singing. They don’t recognize My heart in everyday life. They think obedience is My ultimate goal for them, but it’s really the means to an end. Do they really think all of history led up to a point of My coming to demand greater obedience simply for the sake of having more servants and accomplishing My plans? Is My glory really just about getting My way?

“No, I’m after your hearts. My glory is revealed in your delight in Me. The way I’m demonstrating My glory and treading on My enemy is by winning your affections. My blood wasn’t spilled just to get you saved so you can go to heaven when you die. You have to understand that there’s a greater reason I save you—that I want to know you intimately, to commune with you, to gaze into your spirit and have you gaze back into Mine. I made human beings to feel the joy of romance because I feel the joy of romance. My heart beats faster with love.

“My sacrifice was never just to prove My power or My wisdom. People eventually realize that relationships matter more than their achievements or status. Yet they suggest that My glory is a matter of establishing My Kingdom or demonstrating that I’m sovereign. What would be the point? I could establish My Kingdom and prove My power without a sacrifice on a cross. There’s a deeper heartbeat behind this creation than that. I want to know and be known. That’s why worlds were created.”

Lord, let me hear You singing over me. Fill my heart with Your song. Draw me into the depths of Your heart and let me love You completely.

From the book