1 00:00:37,970 --> 00:00:41,531 Speaker 1: Hey friends, it's Kelly from Life Audio. We just launched 2 00:00:41,531 --> 00:00:45,171 Speaker 1: something new. It's called The Good Word, our free weekly 3 00:00:45,251 --> 00:00:48,131 Speaker 1: newsletter built for people who want to go a little 4 00:00:48,171 --> 00:00:54,091 Speaker 1: deeper in their faith. Thank devotionals, guided prayers, curated podcasts, recommendations, 5 00:00:54,131 --> 00:00:57,331 Speaker 1: and a little community all in one place. No ads, 6 00:00:57,731 --> 00:01:00,211 Speaker 1: just good content. This one means a lot to us. 7 00:01:00,451 --> 00:01:03,211 Speaker 1: We built The Good Word based on the audience survey 8 00:01:03,491 --> 00:01:05,811 Speaker 1: so many of you've filled out a few months back. 9 00:01:05,971 --> 00:01:08,450 Speaker 1: You told us what you wanted and we listened. So 10 00:01:08,611 --> 00:01:11,530 Speaker 1: thank you truly for helping us shape this. Head to 11 00:01:11,571 --> 00:01:14,211 Speaker 1: the link in the show notes and join our community today. 12 00:01:14,411 --> 00:01:21,091 Speaker 1: We'd love to have you Life Audio. 13 00:01:27,091 --> 00:01:30,571 Speaker 2: Hello, and thank you for listening to your Daily Bible Verse, 14 00:01:30,771 --> 00:01:34,371 Speaker 2: the podcast that examines one verse each day to learn 15 00:01:34,371 --> 00:01:38,450 Speaker 2: more about God and his will for us. I'm your host, 16 00:01:38,811 --> 00:01:42,611 Speaker 2: Jessica Finrokel, and after the short word from our sponsor, 17 00:01:43,131 --> 00:01:48,771 Speaker 2: we'll dive into today's Bible verse, Zephaniah, chapter three, verse seventeen. 18 00:02:00,691 --> 00:02:05,371 Speaker 2: Today's Bible verses Zephaniah, chapter three, verse seventeen. The Lord, 19 00:02:05,531 --> 00:02:08,571 Speaker 2: your God is in your midst, a mighty one who 20 00:02:08,651 --> 00:02:13,291 Speaker 2: will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness He 21 00:02:13,331 --> 00:02:17,531 Speaker 2: will quiet you by his love. He will exult over 22 00:02:17,571 --> 00:02:23,051 Speaker 2: you with loud singing. Imagine telling someone you should have 23 00:02:23,091 --> 00:02:27,650 Speaker 2: done better, or you'll never measure up. We don't because 24 00:02:27,851 --> 00:02:32,770 Speaker 2: it's unkind, and yet our inner narrator tells us things 25 00:02:32,891 --> 00:02:37,011 Speaker 2: like this. All too often, our inner voice demands perfection 26 00:02:37,211 --> 00:02:42,011 Speaker 2: and whispered, you've failed again. For some, that voice becomes 27 00:02:42,011 --> 00:02:46,451 Speaker 2: so familiar we mistake it for truth. So we instinctively 28 00:02:46,571 --> 00:02:51,491 Speaker 2: look outside ourselves, to our friends, family, or even success, 29 00:02:51,531 --> 00:02:55,291 Speaker 2: to drown the inner critics whispers. We long to know 30 00:02:55,931 --> 00:03:00,451 Speaker 2: someone delights in us, not because we're perfect, but because 31 00:03:00,731 --> 00:03:05,571 Speaker 2: we belong. Zephy and Iiah chapter three, verse seventeen tells 32 00:03:05,691 --> 00:03:09,451 Speaker 2: us something to settle our restless heart. The God who 33 00:03:09,571 --> 00:03:13,171 Speaker 2: created the heavens and the earth doesn't just save his people, 34 00:03:13,731 --> 00:03:17,651 Speaker 2: He delights in them. He quiets them with his love 35 00:03:17,811 --> 00:03:21,771 Speaker 2: and sings over them with joy. Let's uncover why this 36 00:03:21,971 --> 00:03:27,530 Speaker 2: verse can still speak so powerfully today. The Israelite nation 37 00:03:27,731 --> 00:03:32,411 Speaker 2: had a tendency to reject God's guidance and instructions. They 38 00:03:32,451 --> 00:03:37,091 Speaker 2: wanted everything that the world could give them and God's 39 00:03:37,251 --> 00:03:42,491 Speaker 2: protection and blessing. But that wasn't the original intent. If 40 00:03:42,531 --> 00:03:46,331 Speaker 2: we travel back to Mount Sinai and revisit their glorious 41 00:03:46,411 --> 00:03:50,171 Speaker 2: deliverance from four hundred years of bondage. God said that 42 00:03:50,251 --> 00:03:53,411 Speaker 2: he would be their God and they would be his people. 43 00:03:54,491 --> 00:03:56,851 Speaker 2: At that time, they agreed to live for him, to 44 00:03:56,931 --> 00:04:00,131 Speaker 2: trust him, and to worship him, but they failed him 45 00:04:00,251 --> 00:04:04,011 Speaker 2: time and time again. At the base of Mount Sinai, 46 00:04:04,051 --> 00:04:07,571 Speaker 2: while Moses was on the mountain meeting with God, they 47 00:04:07,611 --> 00:04:11,690 Speaker 2: built a golden calf to worship. Then, when they came 48 00:04:11,731 --> 00:04:13,771 Speaker 2: to the edge of the promised land, a group of 49 00:04:13,811 --> 00:04:17,450 Speaker 2: eight men scared the people out of trusting God that 50 00:04:17,611 --> 00:04:21,371 Speaker 2: he would make a way for them. Then, once they 51 00:04:21,411 --> 00:04:24,010 Speaker 2: settled the land of Milk and Honey forty years later, 52 00:04:24,091 --> 00:04:27,171 Speaker 2: they wanted a king so they could be like other nations. 53 00:04:28,010 --> 00:04:31,811 Speaker 2: Through their actions, they consistently through God's grace and his face, 54 00:04:32,531 --> 00:04:35,731 Speaker 2: and then demanded his mercy when they felt the consequences 55 00:04:35,770 --> 00:04:39,851 Speaker 2: of their actions. This is the backdrop for today's verse. 56 00:04:40,890 --> 00:04:43,371 Speaker 2: You see, God loves his people and he cared for 57 00:04:43,451 --> 00:04:47,330 Speaker 2: them even when they acted corruptly toward him. The first 58 00:04:47,371 --> 00:04:51,291 Speaker 2: several verses in chapter three contrast the wickedness of the 59 00:04:51,331 --> 00:04:55,570 Speaker 2: people and the righteousness of God. Then the next section 60 00:04:55,731 --> 00:05:01,371 Speaker 2: details the coming judgment and the promised restoration. God will 61 00:05:01,411 --> 00:05:04,971 Speaker 2: both save them from their enemies and redeem them from 62 00:05:05,011 --> 00:05:09,210 Speaker 2: their inherent failure to live wholeheartedly. For him, God is 63 00:05:09,251 --> 00:05:12,771 Speaker 2: in their midst with the power to save, to rejoice 64 00:05:12,851 --> 00:05:16,171 Speaker 2: because of them, to give them rest, and to sing 65 00:05:16,291 --> 00:05:21,131 Speaker 2: over them. The prophet Zephaniah traced his lineage to Hezekiah, 66 00:05:21,251 --> 00:05:25,171 Speaker 2: King of Judah. Sephaniah was one of the last prophets 67 00:05:25,211 --> 00:05:29,971 Speaker 2: before captivity and was a contemporary of Jeremiah and Micah. 68 00:05:30,051 --> 00:05:33,411 Speaker 2: The prophet Zephaniah writes of a time after the proud 69 00:05:33,451 --> 00:05:38,330 Speaker 2: and arrogant are destroyed and the humble remnant remains, a 70 00:05:38,371 --> 00:05:42,211 Speaker 2: time of blessing and calls the people to rejoice by 71 00:05:42,251 --> 00:05:46,971 Speaker 2: reminding them of God's heart for them, the faithful and 72 00:05:47,051 --> 00:05:53,331 Speaker 2: the humble would live righteously and under God's refuge. Zephaniah 73 00:05:53,371 --> 00:05:56,211 Speaker 2: goes on to remind the people of God's covenant, where 74 00:05:56,371 --> 00:05:59,651 Speaker 2: enemies would be conquered and the people would be restored. 75 00:06:00,891 --> 00:06:04,211 Speaker 2: The Kingdom of Judah would rejoice in the freedom from 76 00:06:04,251 --> 00:06:08,611 Speaker 2: their enemy, but also because God dwells with them. The 77 00:06:08,690 --> 00:06:13,371 Speaker 2: kings the people desperately wanted honestly failed them. They fail. 78 00:06:13,491 --> 00:06:17,291 Speaker 2: Those kings failed in leadership and in protection. But God, 79 00:06:17,451 --> 00:06:23,611 Speaker 2: who is a mighty warrior, is invincible. He saves. Jesus 80 00:06:23,651 --> 00:06:28,091 Speaker 2: saves all who accept the gift of forgiveness and eternal life, 81 00:06:28,491 --> 00:06:31,931 Speaker 2: which is made possible through God's son, Jesus. We have 82 00:06:32,251 --> 00:06:37,171 Speaker 2: every reason to rejoice and to be rejoiced over. We 83 00:06:37,891 --> 00:06:41,651 Speaker 2: are the focus of God's love and delight because of 84 00:06:41,771 --> 00:06:47,131 Speaker 2: Jesus's saving grace. God is with us. Our enemy has 85 00:06:47,331 --> 00:06:51,611 Speaker 2: been defeated, and we are set free from the power 86 00:06:51,651 --> 00:06:55,691 Speaker 2: of Satan and sin. Forgiveness is ours, and we no 87 00:06:55,771 --> 00:07:02,010 Speaker 2: longer face eternal separation from God. Honestly, we underestimate how 88 00:07:02,091 --> 00:07:07,411 Speaker 2: much joy God has in his people. Today's verse rewrites 89 00:07:07,491 --> 00:07:11,331 Speaker 2: the false belief that God is annoyed or irritated with us. 90 00:07:12,091 --> 00:07:17,530 Speaker 2: His heart is for us. He delights in us. God 91 00:07:17,651 --> 00:07:22,291 Speaker 2: breaks into song because he finds so much joy and 92 00:07:22,331 --> 00:07:27,651 Speaker 2: delight in us. He is our warrior, He's our source 93 00:07:28,011 --> 00:07:33,691 Speaker 2: of rest, He's our delight, just as we are his delight. 94 00:07:34,651 --> 00:07:38,731 Speaker 2: God's love envelops his people in a daily, tesnegible manner, 95 00:07:39,091 --> 00:07:43,891 Speaker 2: which then impacts how we live life. We can apply 96 00:07:44,011 --> 00:07:46,691 Speaker 2: this verse to our life because God sent his son 97 00:07:46,811 --> 00:07:51,571 Speaker 2: Jesus to make us sons and daughters. For some listeners, 98 00:07:51,731 --> 00:07:54,571 Speaker 2: imagining God is so pleased with you that he bursts 99 00:07:54,571 --> 00:07:59,051 Speaker 2: into joy over you is a foreign concept. If that 100 00:07:59,211 --> 00:08:03,051 Speaker 2: is you, I want you to take a moment to 101 00:08:03,131 --> 00:08:06,291 Speaker 2: close your eyes and imagine yourself tucked into the center 102 00:08:06,371 --> 00:08:11,691 Speaker 2: of God's heart. Just you, not your friend, not your neighbor, 103 00:08:12,731 --> 00:08:13,571 Speaker 2: not your pastor. 104 00:08:14,531 --> 00:08:15,091 Speaker 1: But you. 105 00:08:16,491 --> 00:08:22,051 Speaker 2: Now imagine that He's saying, I am so pleased with you. 106 00:08:22,051 --> 00:08:27,371 Speaker 2: You are mine. You bring me so much joy. I 107 00:08:27,411 --> 00:08:33,170 Speaker 2: can't help but sing with delight. Friend. God is mighty 108 00:08:33,251 --> 00:08:37,091 Speaker 2: to save you. He can quiet your restless heart with 109 00:08:37,171 --> 00:08:41,290 Speaker 2: his love. Let's pray, Heavenly Father, thank you so much 110 00:08:41,371 --> 00:08:45,051 Speaker 2: that you delight in us. Thank you that your heart 111 00:08:45,290 --> 00:08:49,091 Speaker 2: is for us. Lord, even when we screw up, even 112 00:08:49,091 --> 00:08:51,971 Speaker 2: when we turn away, even when we mess up and 113 00:08:52,011 --> 00:08:55,131 Speaker 2: we think there's no way you can receive us with 114 00:08:55,171 --> 00:08:58,691 Speaker 2: so much love. Lord, you do you just say, come 115 00:08:58,731 --> 00:09:03,131 Speaker 2: to me, Come to me. So Lord, we come to 116 00:09:03,171 --> 00:09:06,810 Speaker 2: you today, and we rest in the center of your heart. 117 00:09:07,691 --> 00:09:09,811 Speaker 2: In Jesus name, we pray Amen.