Quiet beauty in the depths

 

As I was waking this morning, an image of a city reflected in quiet waters penetrated my sleepy mind.  In my devotion time, that concept of quietness as God builds lives and community flowed.  My reading was in Zephaniah primarily.  Early in the book, the prophesy spoke of God targeting those who did not seek Him with a pure, focused heart.  Where God targets, God hits…but never in purpose-less, random, violent attack.  God aims to bring pure voices—lives that sing with Him.  Look at verse 17:

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

The Christian armor includes shoes fitted with the Good News of peace.  Peace comes with purity of heart, integrity of living.  The book of I John has also been my focus for the past week.  Again and again, John speaks about living with integrity:  walking in the Light and loving others.  He clearly says it is not easy—and honesty in our hearts must agree.  Life is complicated; I do not always know what is best.  There are clouds and darknesses that settle into our lives.  The Good News of peace is that God cares and the Light is in Him.

When darkness comes, we remind ourselves of the awesome Good News that God wraps Himself in darkness—and we have the immense privilege of pressing in to find Him.  Since He IS love, we find Him by practicing love.  We sacrificially love, putting the needs of others above our wants.  Jesus modeled it:  put the will of the Father as the compass of your life. 

In Zephaniah One, it was clear that there are many ways to become diverted from a pure God focus.  Idols, divided hearts, unrepentant hearts, back-slidden hearts, lost hearts—God sees and God acts to bring wholeness.  Purity and integrity is His will…and it is His work, not our striving.  Quiet peaceful hearts know that God remembers our frailness.  He sees, He acts.  He separates us from our idols.  He plants His seed, waters it and protects it.  We become His building simply by resting in His work.