Zephaniah
3:17 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.
Those
who hold the Bible as God’s Word telling of promised events, some fulfilled,
others still to take place, are aware of a great tragedy unfolding.
Everyday rumblings of this coming event can be heard, a nightmare in the
making. The fact of it being detailed is to prepare God’s people to face it
with the confidence of His victory. Following what various prophets and the
Lord Jesus spoke about concerning the nightmare to come Zephaniah presents a
most tender finale. What he wrote about the Eternal God and
The Lord is with you. Unseen, often
unfelt yet He made a promise to be with those who have called upon His Name. We
overlook such verses as Isaiah 63:9 “In all their distress he too was distressed.”
When Saul was persecuting the Church Jesus confronted him with these words,
“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Every time a disciple was afflicted it
cut into the heart of Jesus.
He will take great delight in you. It’s
as though when you enter His presence through the furnace of oppression the
Lord desires to make it up by enjoying your company in a special way. The
picture to the heart is one of the Lord with the individual sitting together
looking at a sunrise and the Lord listening to the person’s story.
He will quiet you with His love. The
turmoil, tears, tragedy which haunted and harmed body, soul and mind begins to
subside in the Lord’s presence and compassionate understanding. It has a
renewing affect in the goodness and grace of the Eternal God. Isaiah looked
down the tunnel of history to make this observation “The fruit of righteousness
will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence
forever” (32:17). The reality of Christ’s imputed righteousness is the basis
for future, as well as present day peace and confidence in the sovereignty of
God and His companionship.
He will rejoice over you with singing.
What an amazing promise waits to be the experience by those who greet the Christ
on His return. The Bible is filled with the redeemed singing praises to the
Name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Zephaniah is the only place where God
sings. What does He sing? It is untitled but it is a song of joy and victory,
of pleasure and love. Maybe Isaiah 62 gives a clue. For there the Lord gives an
illustration of a bridegroom rejoicing over his bride. A love song from the
Lord over His people. Wow! Can you imagine what a glorious solo this will be on
their behalf? This is specifically promised to Jerusalem
and the redeemed of Israel
The
voice of the Lord will be heard from one end of the universe to the other and
will begin a festival of celebration.
What a fabulous victory concert is in store. We may live through sorrow,
grief and pain but with Christ as our lord and His word as our guide we look
forward to hearing the Lord God burst into song.
©Ray Hawkins November 26 2017
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