A Strong and Tender Father

“That same powerful God looks upon His children with gladness. He rejoices over His kids as they take steps toward Him. At the same time God rejoices over us with loud and excited singing, His loving presence brings us peace.”

“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)

​At the beginning of the Gospel of John we read, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).  Jesus, God made flesh, dwelt among us. The word, “dwelt” can be translated as “tabernacled.” For the nation of Israel, the tabernacle was where the presence of God dwelt. Jesus literally made His home among us. 

​God is mighty to save. In fact, He’s the only one who is strong enough to save. God alone is powerful enough to bring salvation to anyone who would repent and believe. It’s through Christ alone we can have salvation. That same powerful God looks upon His children with gladness. He rejoices over His kids as they take steps toward Him. At the same time God rejoices over us with loud and excited singing, His loving presence brings us peace.

​In today’s verse we see a God who is mighty, yet incredibly tender. The image that comes to mind is a child who is afraid of the dark at night. It seems that the mere presence of their mom or dad makes them less afraid. This is because the child views their parents as stronger than whatever may be in the scary dark, but their parents' loving presence is also enough to calm their anxiety. It seems that sometimes a child only needs their parent to sit next to them as they fall safely to sleep. 

​May we be women who trust the Lord the same way a scared child trusts their parents. Yet may we also remember, “He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep.” (Psalm 121:3) Unlike earthly parents, our Father never falls asleep. This means He is always ready to protect His kids or tell them they’re safe. We are safe in the arms of our loving, mighty God.

Action Step:

• Tonight, pray before going to bed. If you want, try to pray until you drift off into sleep. In the arms of our Father, we are safe.

Written by Michelle, mom of 1

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