Zeph 3:17. God delights in you; He rejoices over you with singing… 2/18/18
At a Marian Servant Community Formation Day, Fr John Horn was encouraging participants to immerse themselves in the Father’s love, and really embrace their identities as His beloved sons and daughters. He was referencing Zephaniah 3:17, “God delights in you, and rejoices over you with singing.” He suggested that each person take this verse to prayer, and ask the Lord, “what song are You singing over me?” They were given some quiet space, and then invited to share what the Lord may have revealed to them in song. Many had received a personal song, just what they needed at this particular moment in time.
Recognizing this as an opportunity to know the Father more deeply, I followed their example and asked Him what song He might sing over me. Much to my surprise and merriment, the words, “Plop plop, fizz fizz, O what a relief it is…” came to my mind! It’s the Alka Seltzer commercial song, as the little white tablets are dropped into a glass of water and create a bubbly effervesence made to sooth a troubled tummy. I laughed and indeed joy bubbled up inside me, and once again I was reminded to relax, to take myself less seriously, and to enter in to the fre edom God wants for me. The song stuck with me for weeks, and often pops up to again to remind me to lighten up and smile
The wonders our Father God has in store for us! In sharing this story, I was reminded of another gift of song, given to my good friend Judy, which had many layers of love woven into it.
At the Wisconsin Charismatic Renewal Conference at Green Lake, WI in June of 2016, I was blessed to hear Judy share a special gift she had received from the Lord in the form of a love song. It was a personal love song to her from the Lord, and flowed into His love song for all the peoples of the world.
Judy often began her mornings standing by the window, looking out at the back yard and being grateful for God’s love and the beauty of His creation. This often led to praising God with song, and this day the song “Secret Love” rose up in her heart.
Once I had secret love, that lived within the heart of me,
All too soon my secret love, became impatient to be free.
So I told a friendly star, the way that dreamers often do
just how wonderful You are, and why I am so in love with You.
Now I shout it from the highest hills, even told the golden daffodils,
At last my heart’s an open door, and my secret love’s no secret anymore.
Judy related how when she was growing up before Vatican II, faith was often kept private and not freely shared with others. It was alive in her heart though, and as she grew deeper in her faith she felt compelled to share it more openly. She started talking to others about Jesus, and now here she was at this conference, shouting it out for all the world to know. The lyrics of the song paralleled her faith journey, and brought joy to her heart as she sang this song to the Lord that morning.
Wednesday evenings were prayer meeting time, and during the meeting Judy heard God the Father sing this love song back to her. His love for mankind was secret too, as He tried to tell it to His people, but their ears were deaf and their hearts closed to His love. This incredible love couldn’t be contained though, but rather impatient to be free, so God placed the Star over the humble stable of Bethlehem to help the people see how wonderful they are and why He loves them so very much. He shouted this Love from the summit of Calvary, where blood and water poured forth from the heart of His Son, and the secret door of Divine Mercy was opened to flood the world with the Father’s Love.
Judy sang this song for us at the Conference so beautifully, from a heart of love for God and for His people ~ what a gift, given and shared with so many layers of meaning and depth!
God does indeed delight in us, and rejoices over us with singing! Simple messages, fine tuned to each one of us, with layers and depth that often unfold with added dimensions over time ~ what song is the Father singing over you today?
Spiritual Sun Pennies 