Rejoice

“Jehovah your God is mighty in your midst; He will save.  He will rejoice over you with joy; He is silent in His love”.  Zephaniah 3:17 

Rejoice – This verse at the end of one of the more obscure Old Testament prophetic books gives us some wonderful and unusual pictures about God’s love for us.  It begins with a reminder of the saving power of God.  He is mighty, not simply as the creator and ruler of the universe, but right in the midst of His people.  Furthermore, His might is directed toward our salvation.  We often take for granted the supernatural power of God.  In our shallow views, we think of God’s power as the power that set the stars in the sky, that brought light from darkness or that controls the hurricane and the tornado.  Our thoughts rarely focus on the fact that God’s power is not a display of terror – rather it is the foundation of His interaction with us for the purpose of our rescue.  Yes, it is true that God’s power is awe-full, mysterious and overwhelming.  But Zephaniah sees that God’s power has another aspect – the guarantee that He is a saving God.  What good would it do to have a God who loved us but could not help us, or a God who struck terror in our hearts but had no interest in our rescue?  No, says Zephaniah, we can be confident that God will save us because He is more than able to do so, and He wants to.  The amazing thing is that God wants to rescue us.

So Zephaniah goes on to say that God rejoices over us.  The word is sus.  Can you image what this means?  The creator and ruler of the universe, the One Who is all-powerful, perfect and completely holy – that same God rejoices over us!  We self-righteous, mistake laden, full of messes and sins are the ones that God rejoices over with joy.  The word used for “rejoices” is from a root meaning “to circle around” and is applied in the Old Testament to host of circumstances that convey joyous human occasions such as a wedding, the satisfaction of a proud father, deliverance from enemies or a beautiful bride.  Think of these circumstances and the warm swell of feelings that accompany such joy.  Now realize that God feels the same way about you!  You are His beautiful bride, His fabulous wedding feast, His wonderful son, His triumph over evil.  God is on your side, all the way, every day.  Lift up your head!  Put a smile on your face!  Sing a rousing tune!  The God of all creation is rejoicing over you.