SEEING THE SAVIOR
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Opening Prayer
King of Heaven and Earth, there is no one like you. There is no one who can love me like you do, know me like you do, or sustain me like you do. You are worthy of more praise than I can ever offer you. I worship you today.
Read ZEPHANIAH 3:14–20
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
14 Sing, Daughter Zion;
shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
16 On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
17 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.”
18 “I will remove from you
all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
which is a burden and reproach for you.
19 At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed you.
I will rescue the lame;
I will gather the exiles.
I will give them praise and honor
in every land where they have suffered shame.
20 At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes[a]
before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 3:20 Or I bring back your captives
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Look back over your life. What was the time of greatest joy, when you were most satisfied? Give thanks to God for that moment.The joy and excitement we feel, even in the best moments of this life, are nothing compared to the joy we will know on that day when we fully understand and know what God has done for us (vv. 14, 15). All God has done for us in Jesus is already true: it has already happened. On that day we will know in full and rejoice with all our hearts!
Zephaniah has guided us through some challenging truths about our sinfulness and God’s judgment and justice. But his final word is joy: not only our joy, but God’s joy in us. Read again and savor verse 17—it is precious!
How does this fit with what we’ve read this series? It only makes sense through Calvary (v. 15). On the cross, Jesus willingly took upon himself the fierce anger, the wrath, the punishment we deserve, and that Zephaniah describes so graphically. Through the cross, we who deserve death can live; we who deserve God’s anger are instead his delight. In Jesus we are loved beyond measure. In Jesus we are gathered and brought home (v. 20).
Apply
As I sit here and weep at the wondrous gift and love of God, I encourage you to do the same.
Closing prayer
Father in Heaven, as I consider all you have done for me, of your great love for me, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Thank you for making yourself known to me!
Book and Author Intros
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