God's Lullaby

“The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."
(Zephaniah 3:17 NIV)

Packing. Cleaning. Moving. And to top it off…a six year old with a newly broken leg. It was the end of a hectic week. Though it was late, sleep eluded me as I lay awake late on Friday night. It wasn’t that I was worried. Just exhausted. Mentally and spiritually, I had become consumed with the events of the days past. Over-stimulated and a bit stressed, my body refused sleep. Tossing and turning on the couch, listening to my wounded daughter wimper in the next room, I sighed. It was going to be a long night. Quietly, I remained still in prayer, hoping to find rest. Then I heard it…the gentle sounds of my wind chime filled my ears with a beautiful melody that made my weary heart smile. In that moment, I felt the LORD’s presence near, for I knew my God was singing over me.

My wind chime has been a precious communication tool between me and God for quite some time. It started when my youngest child was born. With my newborn daughter crying and restless late at night, I would hold her close and listen to my neighbor’s wind chime sing us to sleep. When we left that town home and moved into a new house, I desperately missed the chimes, and hoped to one day have some of my own. But, I never got around to buying myself a set. Diapers, formula, and other miscelaneous expenses took precident in our budget. Somehow, windchimes seemed like more of a want than a need. With so many other responsibilities competing for our limited cash flow, a set of wind chimes, no matter how lovely, just didn’t seem very high on my list of priorities.

Years later, we were in the midst of another move following a difficult season in our life as a family. We had come to a crossroads, and in many ways we were in need of hope and healing. As we moved our things into our new home, I was delighted to find an old wind chime, weathered and left behind from a previous tenant. My heart sang, for I knew it was God’s house warming gift to me. On difficult days, when my heart was breaking and I was in need of refuge, the chimes played music that lifted my soul. And I took confidence in God’s assurance that He was in control and I would see brighter days once more.

I still have those chimes. They are old and even a bit rusty. Nothing much to look at really. But, I love them that way, for they remind me that imperfections are part of everything beautiful. Countless days and nights, those chimes have spoken to me when I needed to hear from God most. When I hear my wind chimes singing, I know to stop and praise God for He is as constant as the wind.

So, here we are. Moving yet again. This time I brought my old chimes with me to our new home, and they bring me an instant sense of peace. How lovely a sound to hear them ringing, as chaos closes in around me. Once more, I turn my heart to my God, as the gentle breeze allows my chimes to quietly play just for me. As always, God has heard the cries of my heart, and He is singing me to sleep once more. It is a song I know well. It is God’s lullaby and I am resting in His arms as He sings over me.