Devotionals

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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, O Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.

17 The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."

Zephaniah 3:15-17 (New International Version)


To understand fully what this implies, I have to take you back in history and give you a little background. Let the journey begin, shall we?

The Hebrews have suffered a great spiritual fall after the ministry of the prophet Isaiah. King Manasseh "rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. The Bible says that he built altars in the temple of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem I will put my Name." In both courts of the temple of the LORD, he built altars to all the starry hosts. He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger." (2 Kings 21:3-6 NIV). The same goes for Amon, his son, who walked the same paths as his father. But through it all, hope came around, and when Josiah heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes, and repented. From that day on, he walked the path God had made for him.

A couple of centuries later, the same Word spoken to them is speaking to us now. Maybe we do not sacrifice the blood of the innocent in altars, but we sacrifice the time we need to be in prayer with God. Maybe we do not practice sorcery (although with all the bombs thrown from the media, it is very easy to fall for this. Just count how many times people have read the horoscopes in newspapers and magazines and do not go through the day without a forecast), but ask yourself: Have you asked God to NOT LET YOU WALK OUTSIDE HIS WILL, or have you taken decisions up and down thinking you are the master of your own destiny?

Which leads me to the verses posted earlier. The main topic in the book of Zephaniah is "the day of the Lord", the same day proclaimed by Amos. The day of the Lord is day of darkness since they have sinned against the Lord. By this, the sins accountable to Judah are the following: indifference to God, and believing that God is also indifferent; rebellion; lack of faith; and most of all, turning their backs from following the LORD. Believe me, I know about this. For many years, I also turned my back on God, thinking that He could care less about me (or so I thought). But you know what? What to hear the good news?

GOD IS A GOD OF OPPORTUNITIES!

For 52 years Judah was in darkness. For 52 years Judah turned its back on God. For 52 years the people praised and worshiped other gods. And through this time, God was waiting... waiting... and waiting! Because He knew that after the night, the morning comes. He knew that even darkness has a limit. He knew you can run, but can't hide forever. He knew his children would come back to Him. And when the day finally came, Josiah surrendered to God, and God restored him and the people. And I know that because He delivered me.

So, are you ready to surrender? Are you ready to turn your face to the Heavens and let God be God? Are you ready to take the chance and let Jesus submerge you in His Love? Are you ready to give God a chance? Are you ready to shed your will and present yourself to God with thanksgiving? Are you ready to take the step further and enter into a deeper relationship with Him, so He is delighted in you? If your answer is yes, I rejoice with you. And furthermore, I DARE YOU TO GIVE GOD THE OPPORTUNITY. My bet is He already took that chance with you. The only thing missing was your permission.

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