Quieter of His People
"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." (Zephaniah 3:17 ESV)
Two days before my wedding, I had a mini bridal-breakdown.
Everything we had saved to do "just before the wedding" seemed like it had to be done that day. I was trying to savor every moment while simultaneously checking my to-do list obsessively. And the manager of the hall where we were holding our reception would not return my confirmation phone calls. To top it all off, my mom very understandably ran out of patience with me.
In the midst of this pre-matrimonial meltdown, I hightailed it to the little bungalow where my husband was already living and into which I would move once we were married.
My groom had taken the day off work and was (bless the Lord, oh my soul) home when I skidded into the driveway, burst into the house, and threw myself into his arms, mumbling incoherently about my wedding woes.
My future husband held me tightly and said, "Shh...everything will be okay...I love you." And in that moment, he quieted me with his love.
With his love...not with his words or with a solution to the problem, but with his calm presence and his reassurance about what really mattered: that he loved me.
I'm glad that little incident happened, because it helps me get a grip on this gentle name of God. When God quiets us, it has less to do with an absence of noise and much more to do with the presence of peace. The Quieter of His People holds us steady and reassures us about what really matters: that He loves us.
Next time you're feeling a little melt-downy, I hope you'll hightail it into the arms of the Quieter of His People, feel yourself being held, and hear Him gently whisper, "Shh...everything will be okay...I love you."
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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!