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REFLECTION
Verse 17 of the final chapter of Zephaniah, is probably the best known. “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.”

After all of the wrath and destruction that preceded this message, this is like a rainbow after a storm. God is with us! We can have no fear. He has not abandoned us, despite our sinful ways. He fights for us, and he is mighty to save! God gave us Jesus to bring that salvation to life.

Have you ever imagined God taking delight in you? Maybe you feel unworthy of his love and mercy? But he does delight in us. His capacity to love is so much greater than we can even fathom. All of that love is directed at us!
In the first two chapters of Zephaniah, God warned His people of the coming danger and thought that they would surely listen and accept correction. But the people will not. The question that hovers over us is this, “What is God going to do since his people have rejected him?”

In the first two chapters of Zephaniah, God warned His people of the coming danger and thought that they would surely listen and accept correction. But the people will not. The question that hovers around us is this, “What is God going to do since his people have rejected him?”

The first thing God is going to do is change the speech of all the people to a pure speech (v. 9-10). The tongue says what is in the heart. Jesus said that “the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart” (Luke 6:45). So in effect, God will change the heart of the people.
In v. 11-13, God says He’ll take away the shame of His people. You will not be put to shame because of all the rebellious deeds committed against the Lord.
Verses 14 and 15 gives us hope for the future. The Lord has taken away the judgments against you and cleared away your enemies.

Now, let us take a closer look at the rest of the assurances that the Lord, the God of restoration, has for us in today’s text to give us strength.

1. The Lord is with you (3:17): You are not alone. God is with you. Think about how many times God tells people in the scriptures not to be afraid because he is with them. Today, wherever you step your feet, be assured that the presence of the Lord is right there with you. You shall not be harmed because Elohim, is with you.
2. The Lord is a mighty warrior who gives salvation and victory (3:17): God likes to picture himself as a mighty warrior. He is a fighter who fights for you. Again, think about how many times God was the one who fought for his people, driving the enemies away when they put their trust in him. May that same God fight your battles for you in this life, be it physical or spiritual (Exodus 14:14). One thing I know is that you’ll come out as a victor in Jesus’ name.
3. The Lord will quiet you by his love (3:17): His love for you is what gives you peace and calm in life. This is a picture of God’s love soothing us in a similar fashion that the love of the parent gives calm and soothing to the child. May you experience, henceforth, the peace of the Lord, that surpasses all human understanding (Philippians 4:7).
4. Finally, the Lord will restore our fortunes (3:20): This is another promise that the prophets repeatedly made throughout the scriptures. God will restore us. We cannot begin to understand the full restoration that we will enjoy when Jesus returns and brings us to the Father. Whatever you have lost in these past years, may the Lord restore. May your health, strength, spiritually, riches, marriage, education, job etc. be restored in Jesus’ name.
   CONCLUSION
   The promises of the Lord are sure and will surely come to pass. To experience the promises of the Lord in your life, to change your heart and speech, to quiet you with His love and restore your fortunes, then come to Him today. His arms are open to welcome you.
   PRAYER
   Thank you father that your presence will continually go with me in this life in Jesus’ name. Amen.