"The LORD your God will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
- Zephaniah. 3:14-20 (17)
 
A little history lesson:
Who? The LORD God.
What? Joy.
Where? Babylon.
When? Sometime after 586 B.C.
Why? Because God does not abandon God's people.
How? LOVE!
 
Most Bible scholars agree that this passage originated during Israel's exile. the people had been sent packing from the promised land. The Temple had been destroyed. They had become slaves in a . . .

"The LORD your God will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
- Zephaniah. 3:14-20 (17)
 
A little history lesson:
Who? The LORD God.
What? Joy.
Where? Babylon.
When? Sometime after 586 B.C.
Why? Because God does not abandon God's people.
How? LOVE!
 
Most Bible scholars agree that this passage originated during Israel's exile. the people had been sent packing from the promised land. The Temple had been destroyed. They had become slaves in a foreign country. There was cause for despair and certainly no apparent reason for joy.
 
The prophet sing aloud. Rejoice! Why? He proclaims it not once but twice. The LORD is in your midst, even in exile or enslaved. When life's load is burdensome, God is in our midst, renewing us with His love, exulting over us the loud singing. God is singing a song of joy to us.
 
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Emmanuel, the ultimate gift of God with us, we can be joyful no matter our circumstances. For the God who traveled into exile with Israel not only will never abandon us but also promises to reverse the very brokenness that we feel.
 
'Tis comforting for me to know
That God is with me as I go;
Though troubles come within my range,
The loving Father does not change.
 
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Regardless of our circumstances, the LORD helps us to hope for the day of wholeness still to come.