I'm in your midst.
I'm the mighty savior.
I'm the mighty warrior who saves.
I gladly take delight in you.
With love, I calm your fears and give you rest. Shalom.
I don't rebuke you--I rejoice over you with the most joyful song!
I truly do.
(A conglomerate of translations and paraphrases of Zephaniah 3.17)
Granted, the main application of this verse is to Israel saved in the millennium to come. But it's not wrong for believers in Jesus Christ to know that it's God's heart for them now and will be expressed fully throughout eternity.
Amazing: it show's our heavenly father's heart! Who'd have thought the stern, mean-spirited, judgmental man upstairs we too often imagined (and sometimes still do) is really most happy singing over us in love and fiercely fighting on our behalf?
This verse expresses his heart toward us. Toward me. I'm gong to go over it and apply it to myself simply because of what Jesus has done for me. Please! Take it for yourself as well if you are his. He wants you to be his.
Taken in reverse, he is:
-Gladly, happily, delightedly singing the most joyful song imaginable over me. He's bursting out in happiness. He's joyful about me! He's in love and -- well, he's just plaid old happy about me!
-He's not rebuking me, he's rejoicing!
-Out of great, great, powerful love, he's calming my fears. He's shushing my cries. He's telling me it's alright. He loves me and as long as he's there no one can ultimately harm me. Nothing disturb us.
-Again, he gladly takes delight in me! He's not just forced to because of covenant. It's gladly! He takes no delight in my hurt, in fooling me, in belittling me, in throwing my failure or sin in my face. No! He delights in me and is full-on, hard-core, crazy in love with me. He'll show me my sin so we can deal with it and move on, but the point is moving on.
-To express his love, and to see it have its full effect, he'll do whatever it takes. He's a commando. A big, bad, enemy-stomping warrior ready to crush whatever stands in the way of this joy. Hell, the devil, sins that beset me. These sins aren't me. They're not making me his enemy. He sees them as OUR enemy. As we walk together WE hate them. And we will crush them! (OK, he will. He's does the heavy lifting.) He pulverizes to smithereens so we can get on singing with joy.
-He is: The. Mighty. Savior.
-And he is The Lord God. And it is his choice.Get that? His choice to be with me.
Wow! I think a little worship is in order. A little thanksgiving. The lamb of God has done it. The lamb is worthy.
