December 22nd

14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.

The book of Zephaniah tells of God’s anger at sin. His people have turned away from their worship of Him, the one true God. He determines to completely remove all living things from the face of the earth, to cut off man from the face of the earth. His judgment will be terrible and complete. Yet a remnant will remain who are humble, who take refuge in the name of the Lord.

As I read Zephaniah 3:14-15, I breathe a sigh of relief. God is always the God of restoration. He removes His punishments from the faithful remnant. Let us rejoice and sing praises to the Lord our God who forgives our sins and makes a way for us to be in right relationship with Him.