Zephaniah – God delights in you.

Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy…
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, 
but will rejoice over you with singing.”
-Zephaniah 3:14-17

The book of Zephaniah is filled with prophecies of destruction and God’s vengeance.  In the midst of the devastation, the prophet also reminded the people of Israel that God’s punishment would not last forever.  God’s forgiveness and love overcomes the disobedience of God’s people.

The idea of God taking great delight in his people and “rejoice over you with singing”, comforts my heart.  At times in life, we will suffer the consequences of our sin.  We must face up to the reality of our disobedience to God; but we do not need to fear.  God is the Mighty Warrior who saves.  God is with us.  God takes great delight in us.

Today is our daughter Vivienne’s 13th birthday.  It was 11 years ago today that I first held this precious girl in my arms.  At first, she was timid and shy from being ripped away from the people and places that were home to her.  But she also began to trust this woman who spoke gently to her and rejoiced over her with singing.  I had a little carrier that I held her in by my heart constantly for the next several weeks.  She wasn’t happy if she wasn’t in the carrier.  And I sang to her… A LOT!  I wanted her to know she was safe.  I wanted her to know my voice.  I couldn’t help but rejoice over her with singing.  We were God’s gift to each other.

In moments of uncertainty, take comfort in the idea of God rejoicing over you.  In moments of loneliness, remember that God sings over you, as a mother comforting a hurting child.  In repentance, turn back to God knowing that He is the Mighty Warrior who saves you.

Creator God, you paint the world with your vision, you whisper through our voices, you write on our hearts. Yet we turn our eyes away, close our ears, and harden our hearts. Where you have created, we have destroyed. Where you have brought together, we have divided. Where you have loved, we have ignored, and feared, and hated—often in your name. Forgive our lack of vision, and help us to see as you see, in order that we might love as you love.  Amen