Day 36 - 40 Days of JOY

Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of JOY
Day  36| REDEMPTION 
REDEMPTION
 
Zephaniah 3:17-18
“For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will give you victory. He will rejoice over you with great gladness; he will love you and not accuse you. Is that a joyous choir I hear? No, it is the Lord himself exulting over you in happy song.” 
(LB)

Redemption.  We all seem to like “redemption movies” where something terrible happens to someone, but then, things turn around, and the ending is good.

We sometimes call that restoration… the theme here in this section of Zephaniah.
After the trials and problems of God’s people, things turn around, and the prophet Zephaniah can pronounce these words over the people of God.

How JOYOUS that must have been for the people!  Like a warm spring day after a long cold winter… God’s people have turned around, turned back to God, and need His warmth.

And our loving, patient God obliges!  The LORD returns to live among His people.  He is mighty.  He will give His people victory.  He will REJOICE over these people with great gladness and LOVE and not bring up their misdeeds.  The verse even paints the picture of the LORD Himself singing a happy song over His people.

Wow… what a picture!

Let me ask: Are you living in such a way that the LORD can “exult over you in happy song?”  Or, is there something blocking that relationship? And since God does not sin or change, I’m guessing that maybe YOU have?

If you have, repent (stop doing what God says is wrong) and ask forgiveness. “… HE is faithful and just and will forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness!”  (1 John 1:9)

Prayer: LORD, I do want you to rejoice over me! Help me live my life so that you are proud of me and happy with me, your child.  Amen.