August 27 – Shouts of Victory and Joy

“The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” – Zephaniah 3:17 (NASB)

It is not unusual that many may not know this verse even if we have spent years reading the Bible. It comes from one of the minor prophets – books which do not receive their due attention. But in these books which were prophecies for Israel’s future at the time or even warnings for pagan nations such as Tyre (Isaiah, Ezekiel) or Nineveh (Jonah). They contain promises on how God deals with His people. Today’s verse covered in its prophecy the time when Israel’s day of judgement will be past and her King will be residing in her midst. The discipline is over and the fulfillment of promises has come to pass. As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, our Lord God promises that He will exult over His people. There will be gladness and song and great rejoicing. We will be a part of it because as faith believers, God has promised that we are counted among His people and are recipients of His promises. It is a time that we anticipate for all of those who God has redeemed, all of Israel and all of those not Israel but adopted into His family.

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January 7 – His Love Quiets

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)

From the writings of the Old Testament prophet Zephaniah we can learn about how God thinks of His people just as was expressed in those days.  God has made us His people through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  We are assured that God is in our midst and we are not alone and  on our own.  We are also assured that God is mighty, He is victorious and He has saved us.  God takes great delight in those of us who love Him and who have trusted Him for their salvation and eternal life.  God is with us to quiet us when we are disturbed by our circumstances and upset and he does this with His lovingkindness.  God loves us and exults over us because of the peace He has brought into our lives.  His presences means so much to us.  Let's embrace this promise.   

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February 19 – Shouts of Joy Over Us

“The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NASB)

Today's verse gives us several precious promises. These promises were given to God's people long ago through the prophet Zephaniah. They are true promises for us as well.  This is a message about a very personal God who takes a very personal interest in His people. To think that the great God who controls the universe would take great delight in His human creatures. We are each so small in comparison with God’s greatness and yet He rejoices over each of us, His children.  We must remember, of course, that what makes God rejoice is to have His people trust Him and obey Him and live close to Him each day. When our first desire is to please Him then He is pleased. Then it will be true as our verse says, He will take great delight in you. He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. Imagine that – what a wonderful promise to carry today.

November 11- Great Delight

“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 3:17 (NIV) 

Zephaniah was a prophet of God who wrote these words as he received them from God. He was in the royal line of Judah, a decedent of King Hezekiah. These words were intended to encourage God's people after a time of judgment. They are also for our encouragement. These are God's feelings about those who follow Him. We can be sure that our God is with us and that He loves us. Our verse says that He takes great delight in those who follow Him. When we put our trust in Him He is not only pleased, He also rejoices over us and sings about us. It is not a system set up to reward us for being good but it is what happens when we choose to follow and trust in God – it is the natural outcome.  Our trusting in God brings joy to our Lord. That's a promise.

June 6 – Great Delight

“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 3:17 (NIV)

We mentioned a couple days ago that God used prophets as messengers to communicate his words to the people. The words in this verse came by the prophet Zephaniah many centuries ago.  They are still true and they are for us today. We can trust these promises as ours because we are God's children by faith in Jesus Christ. We can be sure that He is with us right where each of us are. He is the Mighty Warrior who has fought for us and saved us. The victory is ours because of what He has done. When we believe and trust God, it gives Him great pleasure and he takes great delight in us. That is what brings peace to our heart. His love quiets our heart and we do not need to be disturbed because God rejoices over us – He greatly delights in us. 

December 12

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.” Zephaniah 3:17a (NIV) 

One aspect of Christmas we should never forget is that when Jesus came to earth He was the Son of God. This is emphasized in the name that we hear at Christmas time – the name Immanuel.  We remember that the name means “God with us.” This is the title the prophet Zephaniah wanted to emphasize. Jesus came as a baby in Bethlehem. This baby was God in human form. Jesus is with us today, too, and we can rest in the assurance. No matter what is going on around us today we can be assured that He is with us. Let us recognize His presence and experience the joy of it by faith. 

March 6

“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 3:17 (NIV)

There are several promises here given by God to His people. Think of the words: “in his love he will no longer rebuke you.” He knows what we need. He knows when our hearts are disturbed. Although there can be many reason for being disturbed in heart or mind, God has a way of bringing peace to us. He does it by reminding us of His great love for us. The next time something bothers us, remember that God loves us with an indescribable love.