Zephaniah 3:17 says that “God rejoices over us with singing”. I believe He does this all the time, just because He loves us so much. But I also believe His heart is filled with joy, when His children love each other.
Our Heavenly Father loves when someone is good to one of His kids. He is proud of the one being loved on, and rejoices over the child who stepped out to show love. The love between His children is so powerful. Jesus said this love would show the world that we are His disciples (John. 13:35), because it’s a selfless love, just like the one He had, when He gave His life on the cross.
True love
True love gives without expecting anything in return. But in this world people often expect to get something, when they give. Or they have a hard time receiving anything for free. Have you ever tried to give something, but the person almost insisted on paying you for it? Jesus said it is more blessed to give than receive (Acts 20:35). But that is exactly the opposite of the logic in this world, where the enemy has tried hard to teach us that we always need to have enough for ourselves, always need to take care of ourselves, and that we look weak if we receive something from others.
Or have you ever felt like you should give someone a birthday gift, just because they gave you one? But if we truly give out of love, it shouldn’t matter if people give something in return. And we should be free to give when we are moved to do so, not out of obligation. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7), and the only way we can experience that it is more blessed to give than receive, is if we give wholeheartedly out of love, with no strings or expectations attached. Just like Jesus did. And that is when the giving becomes powerful and blows the teachings of this world out of the water. It shows people what true love really is.
Making Him rejoice
The joy of the Lord is our strength (Neh. 8:10).
I believe with all my heart that the Holy Spirit wants to fill us with His joy, and we will find strength in that and see that our yoke becomes easier and our burden lighter. Those who wait on the Lord will rise up on wings like eagles (Is. 40:31). But, like I heard Bruno Knutzen say a few weeks ago, Neh. 8:10 can also mean that our strength comes from making Him joyful.
When we love on His children, it makes God joyful. When we see the ones, everyone else overlooks. When we stop for the one in need, and reach out a hand. When we notice the person He placed right in front of us. Take time to listen and care. I believe that makes Him rejoice over us with singing!
If we struggle with sadness, depression or loneliness, the best thing we can do is to step outside of ourselves, and focus on being there for others. I know it’s not easy to do. Sometimes it might even feel like the hardest thing in the world. But we should always do it with Jesus. And sometimes He needs us to step out on the water, for us to see that He really will carry us.
One of the things that made the year of lockdown and isolation much more bearable for me, was because I decided to focus on helping others. If I could feel lonely sometimes, many others might feel the same way. So, I sought the Lord for ways I could help others, instead of focusing on myself, and I asked Him to guide me to people who needed my help. I got to see how He used me to make a difference – even for people I had not connected with in a long time. And it gave me so much joy.
Every single person in this world is important to God. Whether they know Him or not, they are all His children. He has a plan and a future for each one. He wants to help them when they are in pain. He wants to cheer them on when they do something new. He wants to hug them when they fail and teach them how to go on. But He needs us, you and me, to be His hands and arms and voice. To see others like His sees them and love them like His does – every single one!
