Love songs are very popular. In the last seventy or so years at least half of all the popular songs are love songs. People feel very special if a love song is sung to them, and especially if they know that the song was written for them. Even little babies love to hear their mothers sing a type of love song in a lullaby. Imagine if God were to sing a love song to us! Wouldn’t that make you feel good, especially if you were feeling down and discouraged. In our Scripture passage for today we read of God singing and rejoicing over His children. Let’s take a look at this passage, and see what we can learn.
The prophet Zephaniah was a descendant of King Hezekiah, so he had some royal blood in him. He preached his message during the reign of King Josiah, between the years of 635 - 625 BC. This was prior to Josiah’s religious reforms that he conducted, when Josiah tore down the pagan altars and broke down all of the idols. The prophet Zephaniah was a contemporary of the great prophet Jeremiah.
The first 2 ½ chapters of this very short book of prophecy (only 3 chapters total) contain messages of God’s anger and wrath against those who do not follow or obey Him. Then he addresses the final passages of his message to the faithful remnant who obey God, and are His children. As the people would have heard Zephaniah’s prior messages, those words would have brought horror and sadness. That is not the only thing he wished to convey. Zephaniah lets us know that gladness results when we allow God to be with us (vs. 14-18). We do that by faithfully following Him, and obeying His commands.
In Zephaniah’s day many of the people showed outward signs of reform, but their hearts were far from God. He preached to the nation to pray for salvation. Are the reforms that we may have made in our lives merely an outward show, or is it changing our hearts and lives? Zephaniah challenged the people to gather together and pray, walk with God, hear His message of hope, and do what is right.
As we read in verse 17, as we seek to follow God, He rejoices over us with His love and with singing. Have you ever felt so much love for someone that you could just burst out singing over them, or had someone feel that way about you? God loves His children! His love for us is so big that He rejoices over us with singing! The God of the whole universe loves you so much that He sings! Now doesn’t that make you feel loved and special! He delights in us and feels joy over us.
Verse 17 also says that God will quiet us with His love. When little children get upset and cranky, one way to soothe them is to hold them on your lap, maybe rocking them back and forth, speaking quietly in a soft, soothing voice, singing quiet songs. When we get upset and face troubles in our life, God longs to quiet us like a mother does a child, soothing us with His love. We can trust Him to take care of us and any problem we have. No matter the size of any opposition coming against us, God is bigger. He has promised to be with us. No matter what our circumstances are, no matter how insurmountable the odds, God promises to save us in the very midst of our trouble.
God is with us. He is Emmanuel. He is mighty to save. When we are seeking for happiness and love, know that God is the real source of happiness. Draw close to Him in obedience and find that real happiness and love. Find the God who loves you so much that He will rejoice and sing over you in love.
Thank you Sarah, I needed to hear this.
ReplyDelete