“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).
The first part of this scripture is very encouraging: “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.” No matter where you are or how bad things look, God is with you. Not only is he with you, he is ready to save you when you call out to him.
However, it’s the second part of the scripture that touches me most: “He will take great delight in you.”
“What? The Maker of the Universe delights in me? Oh, but I have done so much to cause him pain or grief. Surely, he can’t delight in me. If only he knew my thoughts and the things I have done.”
He does know. He has seen it all. Yet, if you have truly accepted Jesus Christ into your heart by faith, he still delights in you. The key is his Son Jesus. Because Jesus died as punishment for our sins, God does not see sinners when he looks at believers . . . he sees his children as saints.
Not only that, “He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Can you imagine God–Almighty God–in heaven right now singing over you? Can you imagine him rejoicing over you with songs and dancing? God is rejoicing in heaven this very moment over you. It’s not one big celebration for everyone. It’s a single celebration just for you.
“Why me? Why does he celebrate over me? I can’t even get along with the neighbors, and God is rejoicing in heaven for me? Why me?”
God rejoices because of his great love for you. He loves you more than you could ever imagine. When things look fearful and frightening, let his love quiet you. Let his love still your heart. If he is in heaven rejoicing over you, then surely he cares about how things are going for you down here.
Today, spend some time rejoicing with God. I am sure you can’t out-dance or out-sing the Lord. But, wouldn’t it be fun to try?
Prayer: Father, I may not fully understand how and why you rejoice over me, but I ask that you would help me to rejoice with you. I want to receive your love and your joy that you want to pour over me.
