Jump Start # 4167

Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

In the little prophetic book of Zephaniah, we find a fascinating statement about the Lord. As announcement of glorious days under the Messiah take place, shouts of joy and feasting celebrations happen. God is among His people. And, three declarations are made: He will rejoice over you; He will quiet you; He will exult over you. Gladness, love and loud singing are the way that the Lord will accomplish this.

And, right there, so easy to miss, is the statement that God will “exult over you with loud singing.” God singing! Happiness brings joy to our hearts and a song to our lips. And, here, the Lord is happily singing to His people.

We often focus upon we singing to God. We have singing workshops. We learn new hymns. We pour a lot of attention and effort into our singing. But, have you ever thought about the Lord singing to His people? God has used music in the sound of song birds and the sound of the wind blowing through trees, and the sound of a babbling creek. Nature has a song. But, in this setting, God is singing. Not the wind. Not the birds. But, the Lord Himself.

I wonder what the voice of the Lord in a song sounds like? I wonder what song He would sing? I expect it would be a song like we have never heard before. And, as in all things God does, it would be perfect.

Here are a few thoughts:

First, there are very few things that you and I can do that the Lord does. We can’t create. We can’t call the morning to come. We can’t count, let alone, name all the stars. Miracles are beyond us. Reading the minds of others is not something we can do. We can calm storms. But, we can sing. From the tiny ones to the great big ones, we can all sing and singing is something that God does.

More than once, I have seen the former Beatle Paul McCartney in concert. In some of his songs, he asks the audience to sing with him. Singing with one of the Beatles. Amazing. What would be more amazing would be to sing with the Lord.

Second, the background to God’s singing is the joy He has in His people. This is a good time. God is happy with His people. And, the emotion of singing is one of the great ways happiness is expressed. I feel that sometimes many view God with an eternal frown on His face. Never pleased. Never happy. Thinking His people ought to do more.

The parable of the talents reminds us that the Master said, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” He was pleased with what He saw. Sometimes I wonder if we enjoy our faith. We may feel more like it’s a duty rather than a passion and a love. I hear some saying “I can’t…” or, “I have to…” and that sounds like the language of duty rather than joy. Joy says, “I get to,” or, “I want to.”

You can put a smile on the face of God. Amazing.

Third, of all the songs we may hear in our lives, the song of Heaven will be the best. It’s the best because it is sung by the best, our Lord. It is best because it was authored in Heaven. It is the best because it reflects the true concept of fellowship with the Lord.

There are several songs in the O.T. The song of Moses. Deborah had a song. There was a song of lament with the passing of kings. Jesus sang a song before He went to the garden and was arrested. Paul and Silas sang praises to God from a Philippian jail. The book of Revelation echoes the chorus of Holy, Holy, Holy. But, of all these songs, God’s song has to be the best.

God singing…what a marvelous thought!

Roger