The first line of the email read: "Have you ever felt the weight of the world pressing in, drowning out the gentle whispers of God's love?" It was an email from a Christian clothing company, so I figured that it was some kind of pitch for a new brand of apparel that they were selling. I was wrong. It was a short devotional of encouragement for the reader. There was no sales ad embedded in the email, but there were two Scriptures that were unexpectedly applicable to my life.

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. (ESV)

Psalm 23:1-3 – The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name's sake. (CSB)

Life changed for me and my family in August, 2023, when my daddy died. It was sudden and unexpected, as we were unaware that he had the lung disease that took over. Grief wrapped around us, as it does anyone who experiences the loss of a loved one.

In these two passages, particularly the one from Zephaniah — "he will quiet you by his love" — I found the best promises of God. He is not quieting us by making us not speak, but by helping us to be at peace. Other translations speak of how God offers us rest and a spirit of calmness: "He will renew you with His love" (ISV) and "he'll calm you with his love" (MSG)

Be it sadness from the loss of a loved one, stress over what to do in the chaos that life brings us sometimes, like changes in health conditions, financial conditions, and family relationships, or just melancholy feelings for no real reason, we have hope that all will turn out to be okay, as God's plans are for us to have peace and to prosper (Jeremiah 29:11).

My dad loved coffee. He found something comforting in sitting down with a cup of coffee at the table or at his desk. The cup of coffee was a cup of comfort for him.

Let us rely on God to be our cup of comfort whenever we need it, no matter where we are.

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for the peace that You promise us and give us, and for quieting our hearts and minds during moments when we have allowed the world to overwhelm us. Remind us of the comfort that we can receive if we just open our hearts to You. Thank You for loving us. Amen.

Forward this devotional     Share on Facebook

About the author:

Becky Holland <rlhga@icloud.com>
Empire, Georgia, USA
Send your feedback to the author