Advent - Week 3 : Joy

Sing, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
The LORD has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
You shall see disaster no more.
In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

“ Do not fear;
Zion, let not your hands be weak.
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.”
“ I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly,
Who are among you,
To whom its reproach is a burden.
Behold, at that time
I will deal with all who afflict you;
I will save the lame,
And gather those who were driven out;
I will appoint them for praise and fame
In every land where they were put to shame.
At that time I will bring you back,
Even at the time I gather you;
For I will give you fame and praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I return your captives before your eyes,”
Says the LORD. -- Zephaniah 3:14-20

Something amazing happens in this passage of Scripture: “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.” So often we rejoice over what the LORD has done for us, that we do not realize that He rejoices over us.

We forget that our sins grieve God, that He endured horrific torture and death in order to secure our salvation, so when we are restored He rejoices, which in turn should bring joy to our lives.

The God who created everything rejoices over us when we are restored to righteousness. We can see the joy of God in the story of the prodigal son. The father is so joyful the son has returned that he restores everything to the son. So it is with God--when we return He rejoices and restores everything to us, which should bring us joy.

As we continue this Advent journey together, let us never forget the joy we have in being restored to God and the joy He has in restoring us.

The following are examples from God’s Word in which we are given reasons to rejoice or in which God rejoices because of us. Read each day’s example, and let the hope that God brings and the love He pours out on us to bring us eternal joy.

Monday - 1 Peter 1:6-9
Tuesday - Psalm 5:11-12
Wednesday - Luke 2:9-11
Thursday - Jeremiah 33:8-9
Friday - Luke 15:8-10
Saturday - Isaiah 9:2-3