27. Ultra Sounds
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. (Zephaniah 3: 17)
God consistently ministers to me through music. It can come via classic hymns, current praise songs, or secular music with spiritual meaning arising from its lyrics. Understandably, this Zephaniah verse is a favorite of mine.
Here is how other translations
present its end-point message.
“Who will sing joyfully because of you (NABRE).
He will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing (KJV).
With his love, he will calm all your fears (NLT).“
As a lover of words, I find the lyrics in a song can reach the deepest parts of me. I have known difficult times when I endeavored in prayer with no evident relief. Then I would hear or remember a song and the needed encouragement emerged. These verses state that God sings joyfully because of me.
Imagine that!
He wants to calm me.
He is content just to be with me— a quiet calm, soft as a feather sheltered under peace-filled wings.
During the days I was preparing this writing, a medical test required an ultrasound for further evaluation. The test itself was not unnerving to me, but anxiety arose as to what might be wrong. Listening to music the morning I prepared to leave my home for the appointment, I heard a perfect song. I carried it within me.
Could this be God’s song during the long test?
Medical ultrasounds penetrate deeply into a physical body, discovering details undetected otherwise.
For some reason the vestibular dysfunction condition I live with escalated to fearful heights during this test.
Could I feel God or hear him singing over me? No.
Did I keep singing internally? Yes.
Did his care penetrate deeply as the medical equipment
did its work? Yes.
Was it a duet? It surely was!
Lord, I am aware that the ultra sound I need most to hear is the whisper of your presence in the midst of my turmoil. Thank you that your songs of delight are not dependent on my feelings. Your love and faithfulness is resonating at all times. Amen.
Lynn L. Severance. “Seeking the Light of God's Comforter When Challenges Dim Our View”. 27. Ultra Sounds. Redemption Press.
