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).

I love walking with God anywhere, but I especially like the quiet, serene walks where I’m surrounded by God’s creations. Recently, I walked and talked to God in the silence of a north-Georgia mountain path, enjoying the beauty around me. The quite enveloped me much as the foliage on the path did.

But then I paused long enough to realize that it was anything but noiseless.

Crickets chirped in the distance.

A mockingbird sang from a branch overhead.

Two squirrels chattered and scolded, undoubtedly responding to the hawk that just screeched his presence.

Frogs croaked near the edge of the babbling stream off to the left of my path.

Wind whispered through the pines, rustling the needles ever-so-gently.

A brown thrasher flitting about on top of dry leaves, shuffling them out of the way to look for worms.

And that one noise – oh, my, was it loud! Cicadas.

A quiet walk? Not so much!

The sounds of God’s creations serenaded me, bringing to mind the verse in Zephaniah, “… he will exult over you with loud singing.” His masterpieces tickled my ears with songs from their Creator.

Thank you, God, for your constant presence. Thank you for a glimpse of your love and gladness and for songs of exultation. Please help me never miss the serenade.

365 Ways to Love

Julie Lavender is a journalist, author, and former homeschooling mom of twenty-five years who holds a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education. She is married to her-high school and college sweetheart, David, a wildlife biologist, who’s spent the last thirty-seven years encouraging her to love and appreciate all of God’s creations. Julie’s parenting book, 365 Ways to Love Your Child: Turning Little Moments into Lasting Memories, releases in October.