He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
(Life Application Study Bible)
Jesus Tells Us; When you make a special gift for someone, you can’t wait to see that person open it. That smile, that hug, those words of thanks just feel so good! I am the same way. I want you to begin each day by opening up your hands and your heart to receive My gifts. From the morning sunrise to the evening stars, I have prepared so many gifts for you. And I can’t wait to see what you think of each one. Will you notice that flower I planted along your path? Will you see that cloud I shaped for you? Will you remember to thank Me? When you praise Me for the gifts I have made, you open up your heart to Me. Your smiles, your songs, your words of praise just feel so good!
Jesus Concludes; Remember that I take great joy in you, you make Me sing!
Zephaniah 3:17; Psalm 118:24; Psalm 95:2; Study Notes
Footnotes Zephaniah 3:17; Leading God’s people is both a privilege and a responsibility. Through Zephaniah, God rebuked all types of leadership in Jerusalem, officials, rulers, prophets, and priests, because of their callous disobedience, irresponsibility, and sin. If you lead in a church, consider yourself in a privileged position but be careful. God holds you responsible for the purity of your actions, the quality of your example, and the truth of your words.
Passage Psalm 118:24; The LORD has done it this very day, let us rejoice today and be glad.
Footnotes Psalm 118:24; There are days when the last thing we want to do is rejoice. Our mood is gloomy, the situation is out of hand, and our sorrow or guilt is overwhelming. We can relate to the writers of the psalms, who often felt this way. But no matter how low the writers felt, they were always honest with God. And as they poured out their hearts to him, their despair often turned to praise. When you don’t feel like rejoicing, tell God how you truly feel. You will find that God will show you reasons to rejoice. God has given you this day to live and to serve him, be glad, because serving him makes all the difference in the world!
Passage Psalm 95:2; Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
Footnotes Psalms 95:1-4; Songs, shouts, gratitude, and praise erupted from those gathered to worship the Lord. While Scripture gives many examples of stillness and silence in God’s presence, it also gives many examples of raucous worship. Both peaceful silence and enthusiastic praise are appropriate expressions of worship to our great God.
Jesus Tells Us is from the Jesus Calling 365 devotions for kids.
THE WORLD…we see history
Samuel Adams
September 30th, 1777.
The name of the LORD is a strong tower. The righteous run to it and are safe. -PROVERBS 18:10
A blanket of discouragement fell across America in September 1777, following the retreat of Washington’s army from New York and his defeat at Brandywine, where two hundred American troops were killed, five hundred were wounded, and four hundred captured. The British invaded Philadelphia, and the Continental Congress fled the city. Washington headed toward Valley Forge. What remained of his ammunition was soaked, and what remained of his army was destitute. Most observers considered the War as good as over. John Adams wrote: “The prospect is chilling on every side; gloomy, dark, melancholy, and dispiriting.” It was the darkest period of the Revolution. But one man was undaunted, John’s cousin, Samuel Adams, fifty-five. Historians call Adams the “moral conscience of the American Revolution” and “the greatest single personal force in bringing on and maintaining the struggle for independence.” Jefferson referred to him as “the patriarch of liberty.” Adams was the brains behind the Sons of Liberty. He was an open rabble-rouser against British taxation, a member of the first Continental Congress, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and later the governor of Massachusetts. Throughout the War, the British had a price on his head, and he was often just a step away from the scaffold. His zeal came from his faith. Adams was a devoted follower of Christ, who anchored his soul in God’s word.
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While on the run, he wrote his wife, Betsy, saying, “I pray God to protect you in these perilous times from every kind of evil. The name of the Lord, says the Scripture, is a strong tower, thither the righteous flee and are safe. Let us secure His favor, and He will lead us through the journey of this life and at length receive us to a better.” Samuel Adams truly believed Proverbs 18:10. The name of the Lord is a strong tower, a place of security and watchfulness, a place of refuge. Everything else may go wrong, but God’s name never loses its power or it’s protective care over His people. Though all else may crumble, the Lord Himself remains a beacon of personal safety and perpetual strength. Armed with this conviction, Adams became the man whose face never betrayed defeat. His countenance encouraged others. As the Continental Congress fled Philadelphia and tried to reconvene in York in late September 1777, only about twenty members showed up, all of the bewildered men. As they spoke, their faces betrayed gloom and their words were grave and desolate. Sam spoke last, and his words may be the greatest pep talk of all time:
Gentlemen, your spirits appear oppressed with the weight of the public calamities. Your sadness of countenance reveals your disquietude. A patriot may grieve at the distress of his country, but he will never despair, if we wear long faces, long faces will become fashionable. The eyes of the people are upon us. The tone of their feelings is regulated by ours. If we despond, public confidence is destroyed, the people will no longer yield their support to a hopeless contest, and American liberty is no more. But we are not driven to such narrow straits. We have appealed to Heaven for the justice of our cause, and in Heaven we have placed our trust. Numerous have been the manifestations of God’s providence in sustaining us. In the gloomy period of adversity, we have had our cloud by day and pillar of fire at night. We have been reduced to distress, and the arm of Omnipotence has raised us up. Let us still rely in humble confidence on Him who is mighty to save. Good tidings will soon arrive. We shall never be abandoned by Heaven while we act worthy of its aid and protection.
Sam Adams positioned himself in Christ, trusted God for strength and safety, and kept his morale strong, even when times were darkest. His confidence spread into the hearts of his compatriots, for he was as certain as sunrise that the name of the Lord is a tower of refuge.
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