Good morning! God will sing over us as we sing over Him.  Joyfulness in what God does comes out in singing.  As God takes away the penalty and power of sin over us as a people, it’s not only us who sing.  In 3:17, we see that God sings over us—and He sings loudly. 

One thing about getting out and ministering to folks in our community—it keeps you from becoming complacent and apathetic about your faith. You take time to be ‘out there,’ sharing, having folks ask questions, giving them answers—it takes you out of your comfort zone, and that’s a good thing.  And honestly, we have nothing to fear, do we?

The prophet Zephaniah ministered during a time when great reforms were taking place in the life of Judah, the Southern Kingdom of Israel under the good and faithful king Josiah.  The Northern Kingdom of Israel had already been overrun by the Assyrians, and little did Judah know that in less than 100 years, God would send them away via Babylon. 

And of all the Minor Prophets, Zephaniah is the one that spends the most time speaking of “the day of the Lord.”  The day of the Lord would be a time of terror for those who lost their intentionality and focus on their Lord to pursue either other things outright, mix other things in with their worship of the Lord, or just grow apathetic, but would be a time of restoration and renewal for those who stayed faithful in their focus. 

Zephaniah’s name means “the Lord hides/protects.”  As you’ll see from Zephaniah 3, those who confess and repent of their sin and turn to the Lord will be “hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord.”  Those who remain complacent and apathetic about their relationship with the Lord will not find the protection they expected when the day of the Lord comes.  If you find yourself complacent and apathetic, then I beg of you to repent, for the day of the Lord comes! Turn and sing–and He will sing over you with joy!

Matthew Perry, Ph.D., serves as Lead Pastor of Arapahoe Road Baptist Church, Centennial, CO