When you feel troubled, God is…the Quieter of our Souls
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)
When I was the mother of a newborn, I was always on alert. Even as my baby slept in another room, I listened. Often I’d hear a whimper that soon escalated to a wail. I’d rush to the nursery and peer over the railing of the crib to see a tiny, red-faced boy using every bit of energy to produce the sounds that would bring food or comfort. I’d pick up my squirming little guy, change his diaper, and sit in my rocker to feed him.
Then I’d hold him close until his stiffness eased, his struggling stopped, and he relaxed in my arms. I’d touch his velvety-smooth skin and stroke the soft fuzz on his head. His eyes closed and his breathing became deep and rhythmic as I rocked him. My heart filled with gladness as I rocked and cuddled and sang.
God rejoices over us with gladness.
So As I read Zephaniah 3:17, I wonder if that’s the same kind of gladness God experiences as he quiets us with his love. Because we are so much like that newborn…. often helpless, crying out from the bottom of our lungs and from the depths of our neediness. And God’s right there with us, listening to our cries, ready to rescue us. He has the power to provide what we need.
God quiets us with his love.
Our need for soothing doesn’t end when we outgrow infancy.
As a child I experienced a few sleepless nights when my body was fatigued but my brain would not quiet down. Once, on the eve of our first family vacation, my mind wouldn’t power down because I was so full of anticipation—excitement mingled with anxiety over the unknown. When I’d given up hope of falling asleep on my own, I woke my mother. She didn’t talk to me or reason with me; she simply crawled in bed with me. In the safety of her presence, I relaxed and drifted off to sleep.
So this must be what David, the Psalmist had in mind when he wrote:
“O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O, Israel, hope in the Lord, from this time forth and forevermore.” Psalm 131 (ESV)
Certainly, as adults we have an assortment of disturbing thoughts to keep us up at night— problems we can’t handle and circumstances we don’t understand. In Psalm 131, David uses the Hebrew word pala’ for things “too great” for him. Pala’ can be translated “marvelous” —as in a marvelous upcoming adventure—but it can also mean “difficult to understand” —as when we wonder why God allows certain tragedies to take place.
On restless nights, when I struggle with these “marvelous” problems, I wish I could be a kid again. I wish I could have a parent whose very presence would soothe me to sleep. Do you sometimes feel that way, too?
God exults over us with singing.
In fact, we do have a Heavenly Father who wants us to be like little children and come humbly to him. (Matthew 18:3) And he will quiet us with his love. Do you often picture God that way…glad to be holding you, shushing your anxious cries with his love, singing loudly over you? Do you ever imagine God singing at all?
Not too long ago, I awoke in the middle of the night feeling troubled over world events. As I wrestled with things “too great for me,” a scripture song kept playing in my head: “At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, in heaven and in earth…”
God was reminding me one day he will right all wrongs and every knee will bow before his perfect Son Jesus.
God was singing over me, quieting me with his love.
Thank you, Father, for your gentle love that quiets my troubled soul. I am amazed that you could rejoice over me with gladness. Thank you for allowing me to rest in you, knowing that you love me unconditionally and you take care of all the “great things that are too difficult for me.”
So the next time you find yourself troubled and restless, stop and become aware of God’s presence. Listen for his voice. What song is he singing over you? In your waking hours, sing along with him as you remind yourself that God is…
The Quieter of Our Souls
