Written ~ 07-13-2023
Zephaniah 3:17
“For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
What wonderfully comforting words! Look at all the promises from God in just one verse!
He will live among us…
He is our mighty Savior…
He takes delight in us…
He will calm our fears…
He rejoices over us…
In chapter 3 of Zephaniah, he is talking about the rebellion of Jerusalem – It speaks of the awful things that would happen to them because of their rebellion towards the LORD.
In Zephaniah 3:2 it says,
“No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction. It does not trust in the LORD or draw near to its God.”
God had to cause great oppression on His people. He had to get their attention in a drastic way. It’s the same for us today, we can rebel against God only for so long until He must get our attention. Those of us who will listen and turn to Him, will be saved, it’s then that God shows His mighty redemptive Power! He will oppose and destroy evil, but to those He redeems, verse 3:11 says,
“On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed, for you will no longer be rebels against Me.”
Parts of verses 3:14-15 say,
“Be glad and rejoice with all your heart… For the LORD will remove His hand of judgment… At last, your troubles will be over…”
So, think about your life, the lives of your dearest loved ones. Are any in a state of rebellion against the LORD? Are any choosing their own path in life, not considering what God Almighty has planned? The thing we cannot misunderstand… though God is a loving, gracious, merciful, and patient God – He cannot tolerate disobedience and rebellion. Those attributes will need to be dealt with. None of us want to be under God’s hand of judgment!
Verse 3:8 says of the “evil nations” that God will,
“…pour out My fiercest anger and fury on them. All the earth will be devoured by the fire of My jealousy…”
I know none of us want to see our loved ones caught up in that fury, but it’s quite clear in Scripture, throughout the entire Bible, that God will destroy the rebellious spirit in His creation. I realize this is heavy, the topic is not light and airy – but we need to have this knowledge so we will pray for our loved ones who do not know the LORD. You may be thinking, “They aren’t all that bad, they’re doing good! They’re good people, kind and considerate.” Well, unfortunately God doesn’t see it that way – He says, “you are either for Me or against Me…”
There needs to be a complete turning of their hearts, minds, and souls towards Almighty God, otherwise God considers all else as rebellion. Praying for Salvation for those closest to us should be a priority, asking the Holy Spirit to guide your words in prayer is imperative. As we see our loved ones coming to the LORD, either as a brand-new believer or as someone who has fallen away, we will be witness to a great rejoicing! Not only in our own spirits, but the rejoicing which comes from God! God doesn’t delight in causing drastic measures to get the attention of the rebellious person! No! He delights in the turning of a rebellious heart! But I believe He may apply some pressure on those who don’t want to see who God is and what Jesus did on the cross. Some may need more pressure than others. But just think of the day when that rebellious spirit is broken, completely done away with and another heart is given over to the LORD! There is an eruption of praise and rejoicing in Heaven!
And then!! We can step right into our verse for today!
“For the LORD your God is living among you.”
JESUS CHRIST HAS ENTERED THAT LIFE THAT ONCE REBELLED (Ephesians 4:30)
“He is a Mighty Savior.”
HE WASHED AWAY OUR SINS, GIVING US A NEW BIRTH AND A NEW LIFE THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT (Titus 3:5 NLT)
“He will take delight in you with gladness!”
FOR THE LORD DELIGHTS IN HIS PEOPLE, HE CROWNS THE HUMBLE WITH VICTORY! (Psalm 149:4 NLT)
“With His Love, He will calm all your fears.”
WHEN BESIEGED, I’M CALM AS A BABY. WHEN ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE, I’M COLLECTED AND COOL. (Psalm 27:3 MSG)
“He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
JUST AS A YOUNG MAN COMMITS HIMSELF TO HIS BRIDE. THEN GOD WILL REJOICE OVER YOU AS A BRIDEGROOM REJOICES OVER HIS BRIDE. (Isaiah 62:5 NLT)
If there was ever a time to pray for our unsaved loved ones – it is now! We see our world crumbling right before our eyes – God’s warning us that His judgment will fall on this earth as the rebellion of its people continues to grow.
Stand Firm- Strengthen Your Walk with the LORD – BE READY!
FOR A TIME OF REJOICING WILL COME!
Thank you, Almighty God, for your wonderful promises in our verse for today. I am longing for the day to rejoice in the Salvation, the redemption of my unsaved loved ones. You know my heart- You know each of them by name – they are etched in my heart. Holy Spirit take ahold of their spirits, shake loose the things of this world, and bring the Salvation of Jesus to each one of them. I love you LORD! Thank you for your presence. Thank you for rejoicing over me with joyful songs!
~AMEN~