He Will Rejoice Over Thee, Zephaniah 3:17 Nursery Wall Art

What is painted

The bird is round and small, powder blue with rosy cheeks, its eyes closed and its beak tucked in. It sleeps on a puff of white cloud that sits in the curve of a big golden crescent moon. The moon has a gentle face, closed eyes and a soft smile, and it curves protectively around the bird. A few small gold stars are scattered around it on plain white paper.

Above the picture the verse is lettered in a soft, rounded style: “He will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing”, with the reference Zephaniah 3:17. The colors are quiet, blue, white and warm gold, calm enough for a room where someone is meant to fall asleep.

The God who sings

Zephaniah is one of the shortest books of the Bible, three chapters written in the days of Josiah, king of Judah. Most of it is a stern warning. But the last chapter changes key completely. It calls on the daughter of Zion to sing and shout, because the LORD has taken away her judgments, and then it gives this extraordinary picture of God himself.

The full verse begins: “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” In most of the Bible it is people who sing to God. Here it is God who sings, and he sings over his people with delight.

That is why parents love this verse for a baby. It describes the way a mother or father hums over a sleeping child, and says that God feels that way first. “He will rest in his love” has also been read as “he will be quiet in his love”, the hush of someone watching a child sleep.

For a nursery, a baptism, a new baby

This is bible verse wall art made for a nursery, above the crib or the rocking chair. The blue bird suits a baby boy's room, though the soft palette works just as well for a girl. It is a sweet baptism gift, a baby shower present or a keepsake for a dedication, and it often joins a matching set of nursery prints.

Each Christian poster is printed to order in the United States on thick archival matte paper and ships free there. It comes unframed with a white margin, in sizes from 5x7 to 24x36 plus A and metric sizes, and a digital file is available. Christian wall art for a child's room can stay gentle and still say something true.