”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 3:17New International Version (NIV)
Zephaniah 3:17 Devotional (Daily Bible Verse)
The Lord your God is with you
Zephaniah 3:17 starts by declaring that “The Lord God is with you“. And this is genuinely a great promise because every good thing from the Lord is manifest in His presence.
Therefore, you should appreciate the many times’ God told His people and His servants that He would be with them. And when He was with them, He did mighty things through them, and in their midst, and they were at peace courtesy of His saving acts.
God is mighty
Moreover, not only did God promise the Judahites His presence, but He also reassured them that He is mighty! And the might of God that judges, is the same might that saves.
Additionally, Zephaniah begins chapter 3 with the pronouncement of God’s judgment on all who did not trust in Him. And this was God’s last indictment to Judah through prophet Zephaniah who ministered during the reign of King Josiah.
Fortunately, King Josiah changed after Priest Hilkiah read him a copy of the Book of the Law. He humbled himself before God, rent his clothes, and wept (2 Kings 22:19). And thereafter, King Josiah was at the forefront of religious reformation that was based on God’s Law in Judah (2 Kings 23:3-22).
Nevertheless, Zephaniah pronounced how God will save the people who looked to Him and trusted in Him (Zephaniah 3:14). This is God’s main mission and motivation since the Fall (Genesis 3). Thus His promise to do His people good – the former condemnation was reversed.
God is able to save you
So, God is able to save you no matter where you have been or what you have done. He loves you so much that He sent His only Son to this earth to redeem you (John 3:16-17).
Consequently, you can call on God whenever, wherever regarding your salvation, for He is right there with you. And He is also mighty (stronger) than any challenge we may face.
God will rejoice over you
Furthermore, the beauty of God’s salvation is that God rejoices over the people He has redeemed. This is because He loves them. He, therefore, wants to be with them in fellowship and bless them – actually, God redeems you so that He can fellowship with you just like it was at the beginning (Genesis 2). And fellowship is a manifestation of God’s presence.
God will no longer rebuke you
Finally, God will no longer rebuke you. His love for you will remove rebuke. Because love and rebuke cannot be a couple.
Prayer/Blessing
Lord God, thank You for Your presence in my life. Thank You for Your salvation and great delight in me.
These are the manifestations of Your love for me. And I, therefore, look forward to the manifestations of Your promises in my life.
I glorify You in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
1 Corinthians 10-13 (see How to Read the Bible in One Year or How to Read the Bible (for Beginners))
