Daily Devotional

-May 16, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-The Lord Is With Us To Give Us Victory With Joy-

“The Lord your God is in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

(Zephaniah 3:17).

The book of Zephaniah is one of the minor prophets. The minor prophets are called that not because they are less important or significant, but because they are short in length compared to the major prophets. Zephaniah’s message focuses on the Day of the Lord and God’s dealings with Israel and the other nations.

God is always faithful to His earthly people Israel and to us His church. He is the One who is with us and gives us the victory. There are three promises in our text today in the form of “He will’s,” that are so encouraging: He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, and He will rejoice over you with singing.

This past 15 months or so have been extremely hard on the whole world. The pandemic has brought sickness and death to millions across the globe. We in America have been hit especially hard. We are now toward the end of it, but we still must be very careful and conscientious to the very end. The Lord has been with us all the way, in our midst to save us and protect us. He is so faithful and so powerful. He is the Mighty One and He is still on the throne and nothing can thwart His plans for the end of times. Even while this pandemic has raged on, there have been racial tensions and social unrest, political conflicts, and right now things are boiling over in Gaza. It is so important to cling to the Lord and trust in Him for the victory.

• He will rejoice over you with gladness – Joy is not based on our circumstances but on our relationship with Christ. Because He cares for us and is with us, we can and should choose to rejoice. Paul writing from prison because of his faith in Christ wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). We as believers need to be an example to others in these difficult times.

• He will quiet you with His love – This phrase reminds me of a mother holding her child, burning up with fever and crushed with pain. As she rocks her dear one, she assures him that everything will be okay and he will get well. She quiets him with her love. The Lord also does this Dior us. Psalm 107:30 says, “Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven.” This world is not our home, heaven is our desired haven, our haven of rest. He will take us there in His time.

• He will rejoice over you with singing – Singing has always been part of worship and praise. In glad times it increases our joy and thanks to God for the victories He gives us; In sad times, He strengthens our hearts in the midst of sorrow and pain, giving us His sufficient grace. Right after Jesus spent time with His disciples in the Upper Room, and right before they went to the Garden of Gethsemane where He would be arrested and shortly go to the cross and die for us, He sang a hymn with them. He knew that He would bring us victory, forgiveness of sin, salvation, and eternal life through His death on the cross. He tasted death so that we might have life, abundant and eternal.

The Lord rejoices over us with gladness, quiets us with His love, and rejoices over us with singing. May we be thankful that we are His people and He will give us victory. He will be with us no matter what we go through, and will never give us more than we can handle. Praise be to our faithful God.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day rejoicing and singing praises to Him for our salvation and all His blessings. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean