"Singing Over Us" 10/5 The Daily Bread - Wong Wai Tung
Has your hearing of God’s voice ever been impaired by your sinning in obstinate disobedience? What prevents you from hearing His voice? Are you eager to hear His loving and beautiful melody again and savor being held safely in His arms? When you call upon Him, He will surely open your ears!
Dear God, thank you for loving me so deeply. Please open my ears and tune them to the exuberant love you sing over me.
Our Daily Bread May 10
Singing Over Us / By: Kirsten Holmberg [He] will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Zephaniah 3:14-17
14 Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. 16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem,“Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. 17 The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
A young father held his baby boy in his arms, singing to him and rocking him in soothing rhythm. The baby was hearing-impaired, unable to hear the melody or the words. Yet the father sang anyway, in a beautiful, tender act of love toward his son. And his efforts were rewarded with a delightful smile from his little boy.
The imagery of the father-son exchange bears a striking resemblance to the words of Zephaniah. The Old Testament prophet says that God will joyfully sing over His daughter, the people of Jerusalem (Zephaniah 3:17). God enjoys doing good things for His beloved people, such as taking away their punishment and turning back their enemies (v. 15). Zephaniah says they no longer have any reason for fear and instead have cause for rejoicing.
We, as God’s children redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, sometimes are hard of hearing—unable, or perhaps unwilling, to tune our ears to the exuberant love God sings over us. His adoration of us is like that of the young father, who lovingly sang to his son despite his inability to hear. He has taken away our punishment too, giving us further reason to rejoice. Perhaps we might try to listen more closely to hear the joy ringing loudly in His voice. Father, help us to hear Your loving melody and savor being held safely in Your arms.
Today’s Hymns
Whispering Hope
Open My Eyes
Scripture to Respond
1 Samuel 15:22
22 But Samuel replied:“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
Reflection:
Has your hearing of God’s voice ever been impaired by your sinning in obstinate disobedience? What prevents you from hearing His voice? Are you eager to hear His loving and beautiful melody again and savor being held safely in His arms? When you call upon Him, He will surely open your ears!
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for loving me so deeply. Please open my ears and tune them to the exuberant love you sing over me.
Wong Wai Tung (Chief executive officer of The Great Wall Education Foundation) & Sam Chow (Administrative officer of The Great Wall Education Foundation) Reflection and Prayer translated by Jenny Hung
“The content of this article is taken from Our Daily Bread. Copyright by Our Daily Bread Ministries. Used by permission.”
