For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. Zephaniah 3:17

 

It’s easy to picture God as old and wise. But have you ever stopped to think that the vitality and joy of children also show us His nature?

 

A busy father glanced out the window, noticing his child sitting motionless, staring at something in the grass. Fifteen minutes later, he went out to see what fascinated his 4-year-old. An ant carrying a crumb had filled his young daughter’s mind with wonder and delight. He would never have noticed such a small detail in the bustle of his day, but his daughter was beaming like she’d found treasure! “Look, it has six legs, Dad!” she squealed.

 

We often think of enthusiasm as the gift of the young. But God’s passion for us is spirited, fervent and dynamic. The Bible book of Zephaniah tells us, “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs” (Zephaniah 3:17). The original language clarifies that these are loud, joyful songs, and this rejoicing looks like dancing! God doesn’t come to us weary and beaten down. His hope isn’t feeble; His love isn’t reserved. He comes to us with all the delight and enthusiasm of the happiest child we know!

 

All around us are glimpses into God’s heartfelt joy and delight over us that even the tiniest of children are able to recognize in His intricately beautiful creation He gave us to enjoy. As theologian G.K. Chesterton put it, “…we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”[1]

 

[1] Chesterton, G.K. “The Ethics of Elfland.” Orthodoxy, John Lane, 1908, pp. 35.