"He will quiet you with His love..."

Anybody else ever need their heart to be "quieted"? I'm not sure that's even a word... in fact, it's not. So I'll define it for you: quieted - the act of calming; bringing peace and restoration; bringing into submission something that has revolted. :) A little extreme, maybe. But I think you get the idea. There are countless times in a single day that my heart needs to be  made calm, peaceful, restored in truth, submissive to the Holy Spirit, and none of that is not of my own doing. I can not quiet my own heart. Usually all I do is go in circles and work myself up even more. The only way to truly quiet my heart is to rest in His love. My favorite song by Audrey Assad says "I'm restless until I rest in You." Even that word that I think I made up, "quieted," implies that I am not the one doing the quieting. (just made up another word... I'm on a roll) It is an active word. Something has to happen. It's not just about telling my heart to "be quiet" - it's likely a process. One of submission, surrender, giving up my assumed right to make my life the way I think it should be.

The only thing that brings me peace is resting in God. That may mean surrendering or giving up what I think I want or what I believe will bring me peace.

The truth of this verse brings my heart such comfort and peace this morning:

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

My heart needs this. God is WITH me. God is MIGHTY to SAVE me. God delights in me. God quiets me with His LOVE. God REJOICES over me with singing.

[The same is true of all who believe in Jesus and confess that He is Lord. Claim this truth in your own life!]

This statement does not contain any kind of contingency; His love is not contingent on me in any way. Just like I can not quiet my own heart or bring restoration in my life; I am completely dependent on Him... not myself OR the opinions or views of people around me.

What someone else thinks of you or says about you is not who you really are. God delights in me no matter what I say or do; even when I don't measure up. He delights in me and rejoices over me and cherishes me even when others do not. His love is completely unconditional and in no way compares to the love of man.

When my heart aches as a result of my own sin or the sin of people around me, He pursues me still and quiets me with His love.