Zephaniah 3:17 (NKJV)
17 The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.�
Reflections:
In Philippians 4:4 we read a very familiar verse: �Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.� This verse is obviously encouraging us to rejoice in God. However, in our verse today it is God that is rejoicing over us!
We�re always expressing our gladness over the fact that God is in our life, but here it is Hethat is expressing gladness over us in that we are His! And again it�s us that usually rejoices over God with singing, but can you imagine God rejoicing over us with singing! Whew!
This takes praise and worship to a whole new level. Just imagine us in the palm of God�s hand, singing and looking up at him -- our hands raised in praise and adoration -- as He passionately gazes upon our worship, He too begins singing and rejoicing over us with great joy and gladness; the two blending; swelling together into one magnificent exchange of a grand redemptive love serenade.
How can it be that we are so precious to Him? It can only be because we were purchased at such an unthinkable price; Christ�s own shed blood. This is the very reason Jesus had to come to earth to die -- to re-unite humanity with the Father so that He could once again have sweet fellowship with his most prized and longed for of all creation -- you and me �