A Magnolia's Heart Beats

Thankful Thursday - How Great Is His Love

I have found such comfort in this Scripture. The Lord continues to pour out His love upon my life and just when I think He can bless me no more, His blessings overflow. His love never runs out.

God With Me

The Hebrew word for with is qereb. It means:

1) midst, among, inner part, middle
a) inward part
1) physical sense
2) as seat of thought and emotion
3) as faculty of thought and emotion
b) in the midst, among, from among (of a number of persons)
c) entrails (of sacrificial animals)

God is smack dab in the middle of my life. He is in my heart, my mind and in the innermost core of my soul. I feel His Holy Spirit so often, leading and guiding me. Knowing He is here with me and is not in some far off place is a true comfort.

Mighty To Save

He has shown Himself to be mighty in so many areas of my life, and I love to read about His might in His Word. The Hebrew word mighty is transliterated gibbowr. This adjective describing God means:

1) strong, mighty

As a noun, it goes on further to say:

2) strong man, brave man, mighty man

God is so strong and brave, just so mighty! Don't you love knowing He has your back in every situation you face? I do. It's a tremendous comfort to know that the Trinity, God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit, is such a strong force and can be relied on. Like the Psalmist I can say with assurance, "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song." ~ Psalm 28:7 (NIV)

I rejoice at how He is so mighty to save. Whatever our concerns are we can safely trust in God's strength.

The Hebrew word for save here is yasha`. It means:

1) to save, be saved, be delivered
a) (Niphal)
1) to be liberated, be saved, be delivered
2) to be saved (in battle), be victorious
b) (Hiphil)
1) to save, deliver
2) to save from moral troubles
3) to give victory to

He is mighty enough to provide a way when no way seems possible. He is more than able to wipe out cancer and other illnesses. He is strong enough to protect us from accidents. He is mighty to be our strength when we think we are unable to take one more step or turn one more page in this chapter of our life. He is able to provide deliverance from tempation and keep our feet on level ground when we are walking with Him. He is our victory against our enemies or those who wish to do us harm. He truly is mighty, indeed!

The Delight of the Delighter

Doesn't it just give you God-bumps to know that He, the God of the universe, the very One who created the world and breathed the first breath of life into man, delights in us?

The Hebrew word for delight is suws. This verb means:

1) to exult, rejoice
a) (Qal) to exult, display joy

Think for a moment at the delight you have in seeing your child or your grandchild take that first step by themselves, call you by name (Nonnie is Nah Nah in our house and it delighted me greatly!), swing that first bat levelly, come in holding weeds flowers he's picked for you. I could go on but you get the picture. God exults and rejoices and displays this great joy for us in this way, too. How His heart must pitter-patter when we return thanks to Him, when we bring to Him our weeds troubles concerns. How must it thrill Him when we introduce someone to His precious Son? When we make sing and rejoice in Him?

And He not only delights in us during these endearing times.

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust." ~ Psalm 103:11-13 (NIV)

While He is certainly disappointed when we sin, He is not shocked. He hears our confession and our pleas for forgiveness. He rejoices in our repentant hearts and removes our sins as far as the east is from the west, which is, as one song states, "from one scarred hand to the other."

Just as we forgive our children or grandchildren when they go crazy and act like kids on crack, it doesn't change our love and delight in them. In the midst of the screaming hissy fits when they don't get to stick their finger in the light socket or have to drink out of the red cup instead of the blue, when they insist on eating only peanut butter sandwiches with only grape jelly and all the crust peeled off every day for a week, we still rejoice in the gift, the blessing, that they are. How much more so for our God?

Be Still My Heart

He is so faithful to quiet us with His precious love. The Hebrew word for quiet is charash. Some of its meanings are:

1) to be silent
2) to be deaf
b) (Hiphil)
1) to be silent, keep quiet
2) to make silent
3) to be deaf, show deafness
c) (Hithpael) to remain silent

There are times in this chaotic world that I just long for silence. I love how the Lord quiets us with His love. Sometimes when we are going at breakneck speed He can actually make us silent. He causes us to become still before Him so we can recharge our batteries and to keep quiet so we can hear His Word. His love.

The Hebrew word for love is 'ahabah and speaks of God's love for His people. He is so loving toward us. His greatest expression of love was in sending His Son to die in our place, bearing the burdens of our sin, so that we can spend eternity with Him in Heaven rather than apart from Him in Hell.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." ~ John 3:16-17 (NIV)

When I pause and consider that, I am certainly quieted. I am reminded of my roots in Christ and His love for me. The peace that follows is true rest.

Rejoice, Rejoice, I'll Say it Again Rejoice

Our God also rejoices over us with singing. How amazing is that? I love how much God loves us and how He expresses it to us.

The Hebrew word for rejoice is giyl and means:

1) to rejoice, exult, be glad
a) (Qal)
1) to rejoice
2) to tremble (from fear)

He places joy before us and gladdens our heart with singing. The Hebrew word for singing is over us is rinnah. It means:

1) ringing cry
a) of entreaty, supplication
b) in proclamation, joy, praise

Can you hear the song He has placed within your heart? His ringing cry is an entreaty to us, a supplication, to come to Him and let Him be the lover of our soul. He proclaims joy and praises us for simply being His children.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." ~ 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

In Closing

After really studying this verse, I realize how much God loves us. I had never delved into the meaning behind the words the prophet in this book and I'm glad I chose to today. I used the concordance on www.blueletterbible.org to find these meanings, as I usually do. I'm so thankful for that website and for www.biblegateway.com.

He truly is with us. He is might to save. He delights in us and quiets us with His love. He rejoices over us with singing! Yes, I would say we are well loved.

Questions for Reflection: Do you feel well loved by God? Do you live that love? What do we do with the love of God?

Verse for the Day: "Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you." ~ Psalm 63:3 (NIV)

Prayer: Father, thank you for the love that You have lavished upon us in all the ways mentioned in Zephaniah 3:17. May we be as faithful as the Psalmist in glorifying you for the love You have given us. Your love truly is better than life. Help us not to keep Your love to ourselves but to live it out loud every day and introduce others to You, doing everything for Your glory and not our own. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

G - Glorify the name of the Lord. "I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever." ~ Psalm 86:12 (NIV)

L - Love the Word of God and be faithful in reading your Bible daily. "I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." ~ Psalm 119:16 (NIV)

O - Obey God's commandments. "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love." ~ John 15:10 (NIV)

R - Reverently live your life in a way that bears the fruit of the Spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." ~ Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

I - Invite others to come to know Him. - "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" ~ Isaiah 52:7 (NIV)

F - Faithfully spend time in prayer with God. "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

Y - Yield your whole heart to Him. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." ~ Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

If this post looks familiar, it's because I did it for Word-Filled Wednesday back in March. I ran across this verse again tonight and am so thankful for the love of the Lord. I wanted to share it here again for Thankful Thursday.

Also, I am a little puny. I'm running a fever for some reason. I took a decongestant and can't sit still enough to come up with an original for today. I think I have a sinus infection as I have a headache and a little sore throat. We're having a bit of a cool snap in Mississipi and the weather change gets me every time!

Please be sure to visit Lynn at Spiritually Unequal Marriage for more Thankful Thursday posts and be consider linking up and sharing what you are thankful for this week.