Wait—God sings?

 

August 7, 2025

Zephaniah 3:17

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”
 


Let that verse in Zephaniah sink in for a moment. Go ahead read it again slowly. 

Did you grasp the message for us there? Not just that God loves us, not just that He forgives us or puts up with us who are "prone to wander", but that He rejoices over us with singing.

That’s not typically how we imagine God, is it? I know that this idea that God our creator "rejoices over us with singing" is a beautiful and affirming thought. But let us be honest, isn't it true that far more often than we want to admit, we view God as distant, holy, serious, maybe even disappointed in us. We can very hard ourselves can't we? We show up for worship hoping God will be pleased with what we feel is our half-hearted praise, our weary prayers, and our struggling, stumbling faith. But what if we’ve got it backward?

The first time I remember reading this verse from Zephaniah I recall thinking: What if the God we come to worship is already singing and rejoicing over us? 

Zephaniah 3:17 unveils an intimate and stunning picture:
God is with us, not far off.
God is a Mighty Warrior, who is strong, powerful, victorious.
And yet, in all that strength, God is also gentle, delighting in us, quieting us with His love, and rejoicing over us with singing.

What we have here, is the image of a parent holding their child close, whispering comfort and joy. Or of a groom singing to his bride on their wedding day. Or that wild friend who bursts into a silly made-up song just because you walked into the room. This is joy that can’t stay quiet.

And don't miss the truth conveyed here, this joyful singing of our Creator is directed at us. 

God’s song is rooted in His love. God rejoices over us because we are His. Period. 

I pray today that we all may be able to embrace this truth from Zephaniah 3 that says we are deeply wanted, and valued no matter how we think of ourselves. Yes, we mess up. We hide. We struggle. We don't feel lovable at times. And the enemy tells us, “God wouldn’t sing over someone like you.” But that my friends is a lie for God's joy is strong toward us.

That is the heart of the gospel: God moves toward broken people, not away from them. And when God comes near, He comes singing.


Let's Pray

God, it’s hard to believe sometimes, that You could sing over someone like me. But You say it’s true. So help me quiet down long enough to hear Your voice of love. Let Your joy become my strength. Let Your delight become my peace. Amen.