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"Woe is me!" This is the anguished cry of the person faced with
the loss of everything that is held dear. This is the forlorn wail of the
person caught in the throes of depression because all around presses in to
squeeze the life from a nearly lifeless frame. Shoulders sag, the arms
fall limp. Falling to the knees with despair gripping the heart and whole
being surely the end is near. The mournful voice in quiet desperation
speaks, "Let it hasten, let the end come quickly."
Too often, this is
the cry and posture of the person who has come to the end of faith and
hope. The writer of Hebrews said, "Now faith is being sure of what we
hope for and certain of what we do not see (11:1). There is a reason for
mourning when a person has lost sight of God’s purpose. When we lose
sight of God’s purpose in our life there is no assurance and there is no
hope that our life is meaningful. There is no reason to believe that the
hardships we face are worth the price we pay. However, the trials we face
are meant, by God, to be discipline to help us to walk with Him more
closely (cf. Hebrews 12). So we are called to "keep our eyes fixed
upon Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith who endured…"
For a person in
this position we can have a lot of sympathy – especially if they have
endured a great deal of adversity and there is no seeming reason for it in
their lives. This is not the case with the people of Israel, to whom
Zephaniah wrote. If we take the time to read through the whole book we
would find that God had a word of judgment against all those that broke
His Law or mocked His people. God’s judgment was against the world –
including Israel for their wayward lifestyle.
Look at the
opening verses in chapter one.
v. 2 "I will sweep away everything
from the face of the earth," declares the Lord.
v. 3 "I will sweep away both men and
animals; I will sweep away the birds…
v. 4 "I will stretch out my hand
against Judah…I will cut off…those who turn back from following the
Lord and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of Him."
For the entire
book we find that God’s judgment is coming against the world and the
words used to describe the condition of the people is "wailing,"
"crying," and "hands hang limp." This, and so much
more to describe the despair of the people of the world. Punishment,
destruction, desolation, and plunder are words that describe what will
happen to the inhabitants of the earth.
Why is this
happening? It is happening because God is angry at the willful
disobedience of His creation and of His people. He raises the standard of
His holiness against the people of Moab, Ammon, Cush, and Assyria. His
judgment in addition is against Judah/Israel. Yet, with the entire
proclamation of the Lord against the peoples of the earth, He says that He
has people in all the nations and that there will be a remnant that arises
and inherits the goodness of His provision. It is here that we take look
at the message and providence of God and know with joy the salvation of
the Lord.
Hear the words
found in these verses:
"Sing, shout aloud! Be glad and
rejoice with all your heart. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with
you; never again will you fear any harm. Do not fear; do not let your
hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, He will quiet you with
His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. I will rescue the
lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise
and honor…I will gather…I will bring you home. I will give you
honor and praise…when I restore your fortunes…"
In the
proclamation of judgment against the world for its rebellion against the
Lord, He promises hope and deliverance for those that call on His name.
God always has a purpose in our lives – it is to make Him accessible and
us amenable. God wants us to know that salvation is possible, but it is
necessary for us to come to Him through faith not by our perceived
goodness.
It is here that I
wish to reassess where we are in our lives. It is evident, as stated
earlier that many people suffer, not as a result of the consequences of
their actions, but because sometimes life does not treat us terribly
fairly. It is not that there is no sin in our lives – we are not perfect
– because sin is as natural to humanity as breathing; it is part of our
nature. When life gives us a lot of lemons it is hard not to grimace and
lose any sense of joy that we might have.
There is the other
side of things alluded to, as well. We sometimes do lose hope and
perspective when we make disobedient choices. Sometimes it is because of
the consequences of our decisions, but I will maintain that it goes beyond
that. There is no joy in the life of the person that is not walking with
our Lord in obedience. We read in God’s word that the one who knows what
is right and does not do it commits sin. We are encouraged to live a life
filled with the spirit of God and bear the fruit of righteousness. We are
to walk in the light of our Lord so that as we abide with Him we will have
our joy made complete and have the fullness of life.
The reason for our
lives running amok and there being no joy present is simple – we don’t
have a sense of the presence of God in our lives. Please think about this.
The Israelites lost their collective sense of spiritual perception because
they thought that God was off at a distance. Either they refused to
believe that He existed or that He was far from their presence and not
concerned with their daily activities. The Psalmist indicates the folly of
such thought, as does the prophet Zephaniah in the context of this
prophecy.
Do we think that
we are any different than the people who lived in the times that the Bible
was first written? We could go through the history of God’s people, as
does Hebrews 11, and see that those who followed God have always
experienced hardship – even to the point of death. We note that some of
them were people that received the consequences of their personal choices
and others suffered because of the sin of others. Further, we note that
the people referred to were able to maintain their faith and thus knew the
joy of the Lord in their lives.
This is where it
becomes difficult. James wrote, "Count it pure joy…whenever you
face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith
develops perseverance…" The Proverbs tell us that "the fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." James, when speaking of wisdom,
"The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure: then
peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit,
impartial and sincere…." When we speak of this we cannot help but
remember the word of Paul to the Galatians, "The fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control." Paul, as did the writer of Hebrews
helps us to see that God has a purpose in our lives – first, to draw us
near to God; second, to draw us near to one another.
It is when we are
in fellowship with God and one another that we are able to see that there
is a purpose in all things and that God is intimately present in our
lives. "Sing, shout aloud, be glad and rejoice with all your
heart." This is what God wants in our lives. This is the reason for
His advent that changed the course of human history. Jesus came into the
world to provide the means of God’s work of restoring His children to
fellowship and complete joy.
Are you
experiencing joy during this Advent season as we prepare for Christmas? Do
you experience pure joy in your life at any time during the rest of the
year? Let me make a few suggestions that may enhance the joy in your life:
- Pray that God would reveal His
will for you in this day. I suggested at the beginning of the year
that we ask to get to know our Lord Jesus a little more each day.
Have we done this? Have we asked Jesus to make His presence known in
our lives throughout this year? If not, and if you want to know the
joy of the Lord, begin to pray this today.
- Live with the knowledge of the
presence of the Lord in your life. "He is near" is the
phrase that I have been bringing each of the Sundays since
Thanksgiving.
- Obey the truth that you first
professed when you asked the Lord Jesus to take residence in your
heart.
- Believe the truth revealed from
heaven in Christ Jesus. If you have not first made this step, now is
the acceptable time.
- Witness how God works in your
life and know that He who began a good work in you will bring it to
completion upon His return. Don’t lose sight/perspective. Keep
your eyes fixed on Jesus, it is here that you will find rest, peace,
and joy.
I believe that as
we give ourselves to these principles we will experience, or begin to
experience God's loving grace in a new way and this will bring the joy
that we desperately need. We will then stand in strength and power. We
will no longer say "woe is me." We will not be overwhelmed by
life’s difficulties. We will be filled with the Holy Spirit and the joy
of the Lord.
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