When The Lord Sings – Zephaniah 3

Did you know that the Creator of the universe not only knows and loves you, but will sing over you, as well? The prophet Zephaniah tells us so.

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.”  Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT)

He calms our fears as we exchange them for a reverent “fear”, and humbly turn our hearts over to Him. And He is greatly pleased by our humility.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made the following declaration:    
⁵ “Blessed are the meek,
    for they shall inherit the earth.  Matthew 5:5 (TLV)

This statement gets ignored by many of us, as it appears to be just the opposite of what we are trained to be in our daily lives.  The meek and humble almost always seem to get brushed aside, while the proud and confident gain more of the attention and gather more of the abundance of the earth and its possessions.

But what Jesus is speaking of will happen in the last days, a time which is sometimes referred to as the Day of the Lord.  Multiple prophets refer to this as a time of extreme trial and tribulation, when all nations will gather together to battle against Jerusalem.  It will be a purifying trial for that nation and for the world.  The Lord Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, will return to earth to defeat all of God’s enemies in the physical and spiritual world, and will hand His kingdom over to the meek and humble of the earth.  He will reside in their midst as King and Lord.

The prophet Zephaniah shares God’s words with His beloved people about this new era which will be ushered in by this coming event:

¹¹ On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed,
    for you will no longer be rebels against me.
I will remove all proud and arrogant people from among you.
    There will be no more haughtiness on my holy mountain.
¹² Those who are left will be the lowly and humble,
    for it is they who trust in the name of the Lord.
¹³ The remnant of Israel will do no wrong;
    they will never tell lies or deceive one another.
They will eat and sleep in safety,
    and no one will make them afraid.”

¹⁴ Sing, O daughter of Zion;
    shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
    O daughter of Jerusalem!
¹⁵ For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment
    and will disperse the armies of your enemy.
And the Lord himself, the King of Israel,
    will live among you!
At last your troubles will be over,
    and you will never again fear disaster.
¹⁶ On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be,
    “Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid!
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.”  Zephaniah 3:11-17 (NLT)

Thus we learn that God will not only live and reign among His people, but He will even sing over them with joyful songs. With His love, He will calm all of our fears.

For those living today under the grace of God, those who have been forgiven and purified by faith through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Lord is likely singing over us today whenever we are walking in His will, just as we might whistle or hum a tune when we are feeling happy. He may whistle or hum, as well. Some have heard evidence of this.

We are all works in progress.  Pride or anger can erupt at any time, and we and others will be the worse off for it.  But as believers, God’s Holy Spirit is alive within us.  Though poor behavior will grieve the Spirit, we can quickly reconcile with the Lord by humbly confessing our sins and seeking to make restitution with others we have harmed.  God promises that the fruit of the Holy Spirit will continually grow and improve us, if we allow Him.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³ gentleness, self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  Galatians 5:22-23 (HCSB)

The fruit of God’s love produces the humble qualities of patience, gentleness, and self-control.  For some, these can be the most difficult spiritual fruits to bear, especially when we have been unfairly provoked.  Zephaniah tells us that a day will come when we will no longer encounter these provocations, such as lies and deceptions.  But in the meantime, we are living in an imperfect world, and by leaning upon the fruit of the Holy Spirit, we can hope not to be drawn into the worst of it. And our restraint will cause the Lord to smile and maybe even sing a song of joy over us. 

Reflection

When or where do you have the most difficulty being humble?

Lord, we turn to You for help to live a humble, honest, and generous life.  May the fruits of the Holy Spirit continue to grow within us and help us to share the love of Christ with those around us in all circumstances.  Forgive us for the times we have failed and help us to make amends with those we have hurt.  We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

May you enjoy the Lord’s greatest blessings today.