“The LORD your God is in your midst, A Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with joy; He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins], He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. -Zephaniah 3:17 AMP
The way God loves is just sooo deep, sweet and especially personal 
. For many years I didn’t know He was like this.
This evening as I was having one on one time with Him during a long drive, I began to become enraptured in worship. I sang to Him. As heartfelt music played in the background, I sang loudly with the passionate emotions bubbling with me, “You are my hallelujah (my praise, my joy 
)!” Just as I was becoming in awe that He was mine, I felt a holy pause in my soul and it was like He sang these same lyrics to me, “You (Ashley) are mine… hallelujah!” It was like He was rejoicing over the fact that I am his. As if He were giving himself kudos and congratulations for winning me. It reminded me of the Bible verses in Zephaniah that talks about God rejoicing over us in his love!!!
I almost pulled over on the side of the road as tears rose to my eyes from his affectionate love and I felt the anointing and presence of the Holy Spirit in the car with me.
Years ago when I was in Bible college, I closed my eyes and I saw a Man coming toward me with speed. He was running with all his might and strength (picture a scene with Tom Cruise running in one of the mission impossible movies). The sun behind Him was glorious and He was silhouetted in golden light brighter than fire… everything behind Him was washed with radiating sunlight. Every blade of grass, all the waters of the lake beside us, every strand of wheat was glowing like glimmering auburn stars.
Somehow I knew, this was Jesus just after He rose from the dead and walked out the tomb…there was a joy in Him that was powerful (the Bible says in Hebrews 4:2, “for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross…” (we are a part of that glorious joy). As He ran, He flung his arms open and declared, “You are Mine! I have you now! I have won you! I love you! You are finally Mine!!!”
The scene reminded me of what Jesus might have described when He told the story of the prodigal son in a parable that was meant to reveal the nature of God…the Father ran toward the sin-stained son in that story, threw his arms around him and wept from overwhelming love (which was a cultural disgrace for an elder/old man of wealth to run back in those days…especially since he probably would have to hold up his robe to keep from tripping).
When I pictured Jesus running toward me in that vision, I felt I had to open my eyes and end the vision before He got any closer. His love was too powerful, too pure, too passionate, too holy, too amazing and I wasn’t used to it (I felt like a person born blind having to gaze upon sunlight for the first time…the brilliance was too bright, too blindingly good and splendid 
).
I think of why Mel Gibson named the movie about Jesus’s suffering, The Passion? Did he name it that to describe the passionate, excruciating pain of Jesus’s suffering, lashing, crucifixion, persecution and eventual death? He certainly captured the pain more than any movie producer I’ve known. Seeing scenes from the movie was almost too unbearable and I would turn away or close my eyes on certain parts. But even deeper, I’m beginning to see that there was something more powerful than the pain Jesus suffered on the cross that He was looking forward to. It was joy. It was the joy of having us . His love was greater than the greatest human suffering.
The Father’s love for you is greater than any suffering you’ve experienced on earth 
!
So much goodness! Dear, beloved Jesus 
!
Recently these lyrics from Steffany Gretzinger’s song 
More To Me, have left an imprint on my heart more sweet than a steaming bath of incense:
“All of the others
They don’t matter
You are everything
All of the others
They come after
You mean more to me
You mean more to me.
Let me set a table
For the One that I love
This is my desire
All I have is ready
To fulfill Your longing
What do You desire?
I wanna know
Let me set a table
For the One that I love
This is my desire.”
(Steffany Gretzinger, Chandler Moore) © 2020 Watershed Worship Publishing / Ivory and Ink Publishing (ASCAP) (admin. at WatershedMusicPublishing.com); Chandler Moore Publishing Designee (C) 2020 Provident Label Group LLC, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
The Lord’s love for you is truly endless! May you forever drink deeply of his love and bask in the wonder, power and warmth of it.
Until next time, be blessed with his mighty grace, perfect peace, freeing truth and redeeming love.
For similar words of inspiration, check out my book, Visions of Celestial Love:
“Visions of Celestial Love is a book of inspiring quotes and beautiful prose about God’s unconditional love for mankind. The insights of this book help us to understand that it was the Father’s great love for us that made a way for us to have life together with His Son, Jesus Christ. Through it we get a glimpse into the true meaning of Christ’s sacrifice of love expressed through His death, burial and resurrection as God’s magnificent gift of grace to us. His blood made it possible for all those who put their faith in Him to have fellowship with His Father again.
I am confident that at the completion of this book, you will also seek after God with your whole heart and want to be in His presence forever.” —Alice Paige, True-Heart friend of author