God is Happy!
The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
I love this scripture; it speaks of God’s restoration to a people that were in exile and being held captive by a very hostile nation. A people who in no doubt had suffered all that goes along with being taken from your home and held prisoner for years. The writer of this book of the Bible was a prophet who had the undesirable job of telling the people the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth; even it meant bad news…for a season. Zephaniah tells them in no uncertain terms of their rebellion to God, but in verse 17 he begins to tell them that God; who is a God of Justice, is also a God of Mercy. (Micah 7:18 says God does not hold His anger and delights in His mercy)
God’s Mercy restores, and He is glad, rejoices and delights in restoration! God is happy when we are happy, He rejoices when we rejoice! He is not happy when we go through trials or suffer; He is touched by our feelings.
About 2 years ago, I was visiting family on the West coast. On our way home from the beach, I sat in my most favorite spot; in the back seat of the car beside my grandson and granddaughter. It was there where I made up stories and told them in my corny British accent. And where I asked them silly questions and they gave corny answers that made us all laugh. We’d had a great day and as we chattered in the back seat, my then 6 year old granddaughter drew with her crayon a picture for me; it was a picture of her and me holding hands walking on the beach. The sun was shining and she wrote “God is Happy”. I was obviously moved when I saw it and asked her “Why do you say God is happy?” She replied “Because we’re together and that makes God happy.” Wow! Okay I’m full right now just remembering that.
I’ve kept that drawing posted on my refrigerator ever since, not only because my granddaughter drew it for me, but as a reminder that GOD is HAPPY, He desires for good things to happen to me and for me, He is on my side. And when I do go through trials He is right there with me feeling my pain and doing everything He can to get me on the other side of that pain. And when I come out of that time, He rejoices with me, He delights when I am restored!
In this world we were never promised that we would never go through times of trial, but God has promised that not only will He be with us continually, but He will rejoice over us with gladness when we are restored! A lot of folks are going through some tough times right now, some so tough it’s hard to even imagine…and yet God wants to restore us.
Is God happy about the earthquakes, tsunamis and other catastrophes that are going on in the world right now? No! That does not make Him happy; He is still a God of mercy. As we entrust our lives to Him, He has promised that He will protect and keep us during these strange days. He IS in our midst and He rejoices when we rejoice. He is a Father that cares for His people. Those that have given their lives to Him are not orphans, but we are His children, His beloved. And He rejoices over us with singing!
Do you KNOW Him? Until you get to KNOW Him you will never understand His mercy. How do you get to know Him? By simply asking Him to come into your life, then and only then will you understand the Just and Merciful God, who really wants to give us Joy!
I love this scripture; it speaks of God’s restoration to a people that were in exile and being held captive by a very hostile nation. A people who in no doubt had suffered all that goes along with being taken from your home and held prisoner for years. The writer of this book of the Bible was a prophet who had the undesirable job of telling the people the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth; even it meant bad news…for a season. Zephaniah tells them in no uncertain terms of their rebellion to God, but in verse 17 he begins to tell them that God; who is a God of Justice, is also a God of Mercy. (Micah 7:18 says God does not hold His anger and delights in His mercy)
God’s Mercy restores, and He is glad, rejoices and delights in restoration! God is happy when we are happy, He rejoices when we rejoice! He is not happy when we go through trials or suffer; He is touched by our feelings.
About 2 years ago, I was visiting family on the West coast. On our way home from the beach, I sat in my most favorite spot; in the back seat of the car beside my grandson and granddaughter. It was there where I made up stories and told them in my corny British accent. And where I asked them silly questions and they gave corny answers that made us all laugh. We’d had a great day and as we chattered in the back seat, my then 6 year old granddaughter drew with her crayon a picture for me; it was a picture of her and me holding hands walking on the beach. The sun was shining and she wrote “God is Happy”. I was obviously moved when I saw it and asked her “Why do you say God is happy?” She replied “Because we’re together and that makes God happy.” Wow! Okay I’m full right now just remembering that.
I’ve kept that drawing posted on my refrigerator ever since, not only because my granddaughter drew it for me, but as a reminder that GOD is HAPPY, He desires for good things to happen to me and for me, He is on my side. And when I do go through trials He is right there with me feeling my pain and doing everything He can to get me on the other side of that pain. And when I come out of that time, He rejoices with me, He delights when I am restored!
In this world we were never promised that we would never go through times of trial, but God has promised that not only will He be with us continually, but He will rejoice over us with gladness when we are restored! A lot of folks are going through some tough times right now, some so tough it’s hard to even imagine…and yet God wants to restore us.
Is God happy about the earthquakes, tsunamis and other catastrophes that are going on in the world right now? No! That does not make Him happy; He is still a God of mercy. As we entrust our lives to Him, He has promised that He will protect and keep us during these strange days. He IS in our midst and He rejoices when we rejoice. He is a Father that cares for His people. Those that have given their lives to Him are not orphans, but we are His children, His beloved. And He rejoices over us with singing!
Do you KNOW Him? Until you get to KNOW Him you will never understand His mercy. How do you get to know Him? By simply asking Him to come into your life, then and only then will you understand the Just and Merciful God, who really wants to give us Joy!
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