Daddy Love
"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
Exult
–verb (used without object)
1. to show or feel a lively or triumphant joy; rejoice exceedingly; be highly elated or jubilant: They exulted over their victory.
2. Obsolete. to leap, esp. for joy.
Synonyms:
1. delight, glory, revel.
I remember when I first heard people start calling God, Daddy. It made me feel uncomfortable. I wondered if they were being irreverent without realizing. I heard the arguments that it was the same thing as Abba, Father. Abba is a more endearing, personal term for a loving father. Most of us don't think warm fuzzy thoughts when we hear the word father like we do when hear or use the word Daddy. It is a term of endearment. I then moved to the idea that well it is alright for other sappy, sentimental people but I won't be calling God "Daddy" anytime soon. But now that I am a 'daddy' myself I finally get it more than ever.
I think this well known passage in Zephaniah reveals the daddy heart of God for His children.
When we think of our earthly father, we may or may not think the term daddy fits. Some of us had distant or emotionally closed off fathers. Some of us didn't know our father at all. Those of us who did have a daddy type of father still experienced hurt, let down, and the fallen-ness of our own earthly dad because after all they are human and imperfect just as we are.
Still seeing God the Father as a Daddy in this passage isn't difficult and the greatest truth of all for everyone of us is that He is the perfect Father and perfect Dad, Daddy, or Papa.
He is with you.
When you think of daddy as a small child you always expect him to be there for you and God is.
He is mighty.
We always think our Dad is the strongest guy there is and nothing can take him down. God is mighty, and of the greatest truth of all He is Might to SAVE.
He will take great delight in you.
I think of a dad watching a daughter at a ballet recital or playing soccer.
or watching his son on the football field or in his first school play in elementary.
Proud, smiling, "that is my son" or "she is my daughter"
He will quiet you with His love.
(one version says "His love will calm all your fears")
I think of running crying out in the night when you have a nightmare as a small child, or even when mom hears a noise and sends dad out into the dark house on tiptoes in pajamas with a baseball bat. You fears are calmed just by his presence. You know he loves you and will protect you with his life.
He will EXULT over you by singing a happy song.
(anther translation. "He will rejoice over you with singing.)
I think it a rare thing when a father sings over a child, at least past the infancy stage. But think of the image of God singing over His children. A happy song, a sign of delight in us. How often do we believe that God takes delight in us. Most of the time we probably feel we don't measure up or do not believe He could be proud of us. He probably tolerates us, merely puts up with us, not finds triumphant joy. But He does. He is pleased with us because we are in Christ, not that we have done anything to boast about on our own. But He rejoices over us because of Christ's righteousness in us.
Created almost 3 years ago
