Dennis Jernigan (who has a great testimony) published a song about fifteen years ago entitled “When the Night Is Falling.” What the song lacks in theological complexity it makes up for in one weighty line. “I will come while You sing over me.”

Here is today’s Scripture reading, short and sweet, Zephaniah 3:17:

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

Did you know that God sings over you? We think all the time about singing to and about God, but what about His singing to us? I must admit I had never thought of that before one evening, late, when I was planning a worship service. I had all my source books around and I was looking to fit together a medley based on a specific text our pastor had given me; I don’t remember what the text was anymore. Jernigan’s song was one that passed through all the initial musical filters of key, length, mood, etc. Then when I began to look at the text, I almost passed it up because, as I said before, it isn’t very complex. Now, I don’t necessarily think there needs to be a dissertation’s worth of theology in a worship song, but it needs to have some “meat”—solid text—to it and this one just wasn’t making the cut. Until I read that one line. And then I looked at a description of the song and saw the verse from Zephaniah. I thought, “Wait a minute! Does it really say that?” I looked it up in my Bible. Yep, it was there. I looked it up in several other translations and while some translated “singing” as “loud shouting,” the sentiment was the same. God rejoices over His children with great emotion! I wept. I don’t usually do that, but that night I did.

Can you imagine that our God, who owed us nothing but graciously called us to Himself, rejoices over us? When I think about that, I just seem to glow a little brighter and I’m inclined to be more intentional about being God’s image. Spend time taking these comforting words and returning thanksgiving to the God Who rejoices over you with singing.

Go and live in the glory of God as He rejoices over you.