“The 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 3:17
The writer turns our attention from our fears to the joy of the Lord in doing what he does for the believers. He saves them! He says, “Those he saves are his delight; Precious in his holy sight.” Our God is ‘a happy God’. He rejoices over us with loud singing. Zechariah says God is in our midst and he will save.
Moreover, he will rejoice over us with gladness. When our hearts are afraid of not holding through in this journey, what affirmation to know that the Lord who saved us is happy about what he did. In our fears, he is excited and confident.
The lie of sin is in the shame and feeling of rejection it brings. “God does not love me anymore; I am no longer part of the fold” and many other such things. God is delighted in you. Why? Because he is the one who saved you by his grace. If it were your own doing, then you would have definite reasons for fearing about the strength to hold through. But it is his doing; therefore, he is responsible for what it will take to see you through to the end. John says that when we sin, there is an advocate before the Father for us, Jesus Christ! We are his delight- he enjoys seeing us become who he has called us to become. So much delighted is he that when I give in to the weakness of the flesh, he is ready to intercede and stand in for us before the Father. Think about Peter after the denial of Christ; he was troubled in his heart. His soul was weighed down with regret and shame. However, Jesus had already made him his delight. Though the enemy was almost prevailing, Christ’s joy over Peter for the work ahead won the day. It did not negate his failure, but it wasn’t also dependent upon his performance.
Not only that, but he says that we are precious in his holy sight. To be held as precious before someone means that they value us deeply. That when they see us, they esteem us in a certain way. God calls us precious/ beloved. He shows us this by sending his Son to die on the cross for us. Precious is our status before his presence. Do you have that sense of value that is heavenly? That is what God has given us- value. He didn’t die for animals or angels. He died for humanity. Why? Because we have his image hence his value. Amazing right? Do you remember the story of the prodigal son? How the Father welcomed him back with a big hug, new clothes, shoes, a ring on the finger and a party? Much as he had done miserably, the Father still considered him as his son. Not by merit. This is our God! He holds us as precious!
Our God is a happy god who rejoices over us with loud singing and gladness. When he sees us, his heart leaps for joy and all heaven knows it. He is not a sad and moody God. Therefore, if you are struggling with failure, wondering whether God is excited at your progress or not. Or if you have opted to stop waging war against the sin within. Be reminded that the Lord is delighted in you. Not because you have managed to do perfect streaks. It is because He works in you the ability both to will and to act according to his pleasure. God looks at his work in you in glad. He does not look at your works for him for they would not suffice. You are precious in his holy sight. Speak to your soul these reminders. Remind yourself that your God rejoices over you.
