Passage
“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” — Zephaniah 3:17
Reflection
There’s a difference between being tolerated and being desired, and most women can tell them apart without anyone explaining it. Tolerating means having someone around without their presence stirring any particular reaction. Zephaniah 3:17 describes something entirely different: a God who doesn’t just notice you, but rejoices over you with singing, who can’t contain his joy that you exist.
Hosea 2:14 adds something even more concrete. God promises to lead his people into the wilderness, a harsh, difficult place with nothing appealing around it, and there, precisely there, speak to their heart. That contradicts the logic we sometimes use to measure human love: when things get hard, that’s when you see who actually stays. God’s pursuit doesn’t depend on favorable circumstances.
You weren’t designed to be reached just once, like a completed target. You were designed to be pursued, again, and again after that, even in the wilderness, even when there’s nothing new left to prove.
Prayer
Lord, today I want to receive what Zephaniah describes: not your tolerance, but your joy. Help me believe you keep pursuing me, even in the wilderness seasons where nothing seems appealing. Thank you that your love never tires of chasing after me. Amen.