THINK TOGETHER
Do you like to sing out loud? What is your favorite worship song to sing loud?
READ TOGETHER
Zephaniah the prophet, like all the other prophets, warned the nation of Judah about their sin, and about God’s anger toward their sin. He told them God was coming to punish all their bad deeds. God was coming to stop them from sinning. Listen to how God speaks through Zephaniah’s prophecy in chapter 1 (it’s not pretty):
Zephaniah 1:14-15. 14The great day of the Lord is near…15A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
Yikes. The people are in big trouble aren’t they? God is going to smash them. And rightly so. They deserve it. They have worshiped false gods and stopped loving God and others. They’ve been very bad for a very long time. And God is angry and nothing can stop God’s anger. Right?
But then suddenly Zephaniah’s prophecy does a complete turn. Listen to what God says in Zephaniah chapter 3:14-17.
14Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 15The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. 17The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah describes God singing loudly over us with gladness. But how does God go from being very angry at his people to being glad, and rejoicing, and singing over them? The answer is Jesus.
Look at verse 15. On the cross Jesus took away the judgments against you. On the cross Jesus received the darkness and gloom, so that we might receive God’s forgiveness and everlasting life. That means all we have to do is receive God’s forgiveness through Jesus and then sing along with him.
Because of Jesus God is singing loudly over us with great joy and love.
With Jesus I can sing loudly to God with joy and love.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Sing a loud song of praise together to the Lord.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, because of you God is not angry at me, and now he rejoices over me instead. Help me to sing and rejoice over God too. Amen.
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