Author: astherainandsnow

“Hezekiah began to reign… In the first year, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. He brought in the priests… and said, ‘Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the Lord, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place. For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They have forsaken him and turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs. They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings… My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him…’

“The priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and they brought out all the uncleanness that they found… and carried it out… Then they… said [to Hezekiah], ‘We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar and all its utensils… All that King Ahaz discarded when he was faithless, we have made ready and consecrated, and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.’

“Then Hezekiah the king rose early and gathered the officials and went up to the house of the Lord… [He] commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the offering began, the song to the Lord began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel.  The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded…  When the offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped.  And Hezekiah the king and the officials commanded the Levites to sing praises to the Lord… They sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped.” 2 Chronicles 29:1a,3-7,11,16,18-20,27-30

For Hezekiah, doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord began with the temple of the Lord. In the first year, his first priority was to reopen the house of the Lord. He immediately set to repair all that had been neglected and reestablish proper sacrifice and worship to exalt his true King.

Tending the temple is an ongoing discipline. Hinges get rusty and stiff with lack of use, and utensils get misplaced. Apathy and laziness in our spiritual life yield nothing good or lofty, and breed only more self-interest, introspection, and ultimate misery. We have to let in light to see uncleanness, and exert effort to remove it and to prepare for and maintain pure, orderly worship. (Psalm 51:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

It takes care to tend to spiritual temples. What causes us to shut off our hearts to the Lord’s beckoning hand? What preferences and habits make us stiff-necked toward His grace and Word? Has specific rebellion rebuffed His fidelity? When we determine instead to open ourselves to His light, repair our relationship by genuine repentance and recommitment, and reinstate true Christ-centered worship, we will know gladness in fresh, astounding ways. Our vision and passions will be purified, our living renewed with eternal purpose, and He will receive the praise. (30:8-9,12,23-27)

Lord, may I daily open wide the door of my heart for Thee. Enter, reside, and rule to Your good ends and glory.

“Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built cities for defense in Judah. He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,… and Hebron, fortified cities that are in Judah and Benjamin. He made the fortresses strong, and put commanders in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine.  And he put shields and spears in all the cities and made them very strong. So he held Judah and Benjamin.

“And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel presented themselves to him from all places where they lived. For the Levites left their common lands and their holdings and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons cast them out from serving as priests of the Lord,  and he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for the calves that he had made.  And those who had set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers.  They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they made Rehoboam the son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.”

“But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service. They offer to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread.., and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may burn every evening. For we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.” 2 Chronicles 11:5-6,10-17; 13:10-12

The time had come, with Israel’s divided kingdom after Solomon, for the priests to take a stand. They had faithfully set their hearts on the Lord, and when Jeroboam king of Israel introduced strange gods, they knew they had to put this heart into action and move to Jerusalem. While Jerusalem was not perfect, and Judah’s leader Rehoboam not fixed on seeking the Lord, they were able there to fulfill their call from God. (2 Chronicles 13:6-9)

While we live in this world, we will always meet opposition, and God does not waste it. Sometimes there are lessons to be learned in staying where we are, but there may come times when a heart set on God must translate into setting our feet in a new direction. The Lord God calls us to fear and faithfully serve Him, and if our situation makes that impossible or untenable, He may be calling us to move elsewhere.

Are there self-imposed limitations on what we are willing to do, even if God clearly calls elsewhere, in position or place? To what comforts or familiarities are we clinging? Whose will are we daily seeking, so we know what God’s clear direction is, higher and irrespective of worldly pressures or prohibitions? (Psalm 32:8; Proverbs 3:5-6)

Lord, may my call to serve and honor You reside and take precedence above all else. Compel me to follow and lead for You, to Your glory always.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people  did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth… For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” John 1:1-14,16

“Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” John 8:12; 9:5; 12:46

In the beginning, from eternity past, Jesus. He was coming and came and is here, the Light shining now in darkness, enlightening everyone. Jesus. The glorious Word become flesh, the Savior of men.

“Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth.” ~Charles Wesley (1739)

The Light of Life and of the world is the personal light of individual men and women and children of God. Each who receives is adopted as His child and owns that everlasting light. No darkness that might be looming in our lives, our minds or spirits, can overcome the magnificent and eternal light of Christ!(Ephesians 1:5)

Is there choking grief, incessant longing, fear, or physical pain, seasonal sorrow? God’s light shines into every recess! Every hidden heartache! Every bitter remembrance! Every lonely hour! Though the earth has its shadows, Jesus is present as Light, with us to warm and illumine and emanate in hope from every cloud. Would we bask in, receive, and rejoice in Him?

“Yet in thy dark streets shineth
the everlasting light.
The hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.” ~Phillips Brooks (1868)

Jesus, fill me that I might shine Your heavenly light and spread Your joy to the world.

“Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord, how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. I struck you and the products of your toil with blight and mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord.  Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day… Since the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider:  Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you…”

 “I am about to shake the heavens and the earth,  and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down…  On that day, declares the Lord, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.” Haggai 15-19,21b-23

Woe to the Israelites. They’d returned from exile yet given up rebuilding the temple. Having been stripped of all that was theirs, they clamored to collect and repair for themselves and neglected building for the Lord. He planted a stake in their life ground through his prophet Haggai that from that day forward life could and would be different if they would renew their commitment to Him. His Spirit was with them to stir, strengthen, bless, and give hope of glory for the present and future. (Haggai 1:4-5,7-10,13; 2:4-9)

It’s easy to get bogged down in the present with the weight of the past. Regrets, failures, setbacks can all sully our vision and impede our progress. ‘Woe is me’ becomes our exasperated mantra as we trudge to make it another day. But God thinks differently about and toward us. He sees us as inestimably valuable, owners of every spiritual blessing in Christ, and longs that from this moment forward we would live that way. (Ephesians 1:3; Philippians 3:13-14)

What “but I always” and “but if only”s are hindering a fresh vision of life with Christ? What bitterness, regret, or hurt snaggles our way forward? If indeed we are forgiven, new creatures in Christ, and His love has been shed abroad in our hearts, are we not free to leave these at the cross and press on forward on the upward way? (Romans 5:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17)

From this day onward, will I set aside angst and anger? Will I choose not to curse but to bless, not to despise but to love? Will I not complain but give thanks, not fret but trust, not resent but seek to understand? Will I set aside self for the good of others, and cease worshiping self in order to exalt Almighty God? Will I live in freedom and joy because I belong to Jesus and am secure in His everlasting arms, no matter what I have or how I’m treated by the world? (Matthew 5:11-12)

Father, please fill me with Your Spirit, that I might from this day on wholeheartedly worship you and serve your purposes with great joy, to Your honor and glory.

“The word of the Lord came to Zechariah, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.’ But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.* They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord. ‘As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known… The pleasant land was made desolate.’

“‘I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy… I have returned and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain… I will save my people… and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness…

“’For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. As you have been a byword of cursing among the nations,.. so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing.’”

*Hebrew and made their ears too heavy to hear

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he.” Zechariah 7:8-14; 8:2-3,7-8,12-13; 9:9

Since Eden, the once-warm human heart has been plagued with a sinister chill. Throughout history God’s gracious offer of life has been rebuffed for the distorted privilege of serving idols and getting what we want: a pride-filled present and a hopeless future. And until the end of days, many will reject His free eternal gift of forgiveness and joy. (Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:14-15; Revelation 9:20-21)

But praise our gracious God! He’s come to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found! His mercy unstiffens the shoulder to lean toward His forgiving embrace. It buoys the leaden ear to hear melodies of lovingkindness and grace. It softens the diamond-hard heart to welcome His word and respond with obedience and affection. This is our Redeemer, merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love! (Psalm 103:1-14)

Do you know Him? Will you receive the Savior as your own and know the delights of being held by everlasting arms, of attentive ears and a malleable heart? (Deuteronomy 33:12,27)

Even knowing Him, we still contend with the enemy’s wiles. What allures trigger stubborn refusal of His ways? What irritations, complaints, or woes pester our minds and dull spiritual receptors? Where have we shrugged off grace and refused to relinquish shame, regret, resentment? For whom will we trust God to soften our hearts, that we might love as He’s loved us? (1 John 3:16-18; 4:7-11,16,19)

Lord Jesus, may I bring your joy to the world by living lightly and gratefully in Your love. Prepare hearts for Your freedom and grace, that You might be known and exalted.

“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him… By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother…

“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers… and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?.. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him… And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.”

“This is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us [and] we have the requests that we have asked of him.” 1 John 3:9-10,14a,16-17,24; 4:13; 5:14-15

John spells out many assurances and proofs of our status as God’s children: we increasingly become like Jesus and are therefore hated by the world; we abhor sin and ongoing conviction keeps us from continuing in it; we love one another in truth and deed; we have the Spirit and know His enlightenment, counsel, and comfort; we love God and His people; our prayers are effectual. How can these be true and evident? Because Jesus came as our propitiation to give us life! Because of Him God calls us His children and that is what we are! Now, for real, and forever! (John 14:16-20,26; 16:7-8,13; 1 John 3:1-3; 4:9-11)

And when we live as God’s children, bearing His name and mannerisms, people take notice. Our spiritual siblings are blessed and helped by our love. They see our engagement and trust our insights. They look to us for practical and prayer support, and we enjoy a mutual desire to be sanctified.

The world also sees a difference. Sometimes our proclivity to do things differently, use loftier language or choose different entertainment or lifestyle, stirs anger, resentment, or disdain, but in that we share the reproach of Christ and are most privileged. (Psalm 69:9; Matthew 5:10-12)

Do we know that we know Christ? That He came to earth in love to redeem us from sin and adopt and seal us as His children forever? That His Holy Spirit indwells us as a guarantee of our future inheritance with Him? If so, how does our daily living reflect our family resemblance? What areas of obedience have we neglected: generosity? hospitality? kindness? sacrificial service? If we are not experiencing pushback from the world, who should be observing genuine, robust love within the body of Christ, would we consider how accurately we’re displaying Christ’s love? (Ephesians 1:13-14)

“Never we know but in sleet and in snow / The place where the great fires are…” G.K. Chesterton. In the cold and bite, the spit and sting of the world, how and where are we making fires that reflect Jesus, stoking the warming flames of His love? How can we make Him irresistible to the needy, the lonely, the broken, the lost?

Lord Jesus, make yourself so evident in my life that others see and desire You, all because of and for Your glory.

“So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty…’ He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: ‘Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.’” Luke 17:10; 18:9-14

“Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,  knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:22-24

Jesus entered the world in humility and His public ministry in unbounded love to draw people to the nature and majesty of His salvation. His very simplicity and straightforward manner exposed both underlying and obvious sin, and His glorious grace shone in stark contrast to dull thinking. By interaction, illustration, and strategic engagement with individuals, our Savior repeatedly told the story of lost man in desperate need and Savior to the rescue, an enticement only the hard-hearted could (and would) refuse. He was King, and we by mercy His servants, and that is the best and most privileged place to be. (Mark 10:45; Luke 19:10)

‘Tis a habit dangerous to our spiritual health to think we deserve the riches of God. This parading of rights stems from pride in our accomplishment, when what we need is to be undone. Once we recognize that we’ve been freed from slavery to sin to become slaves to righteousness and Christ Himself, and that this gift from Jesus pours forth from His mercy, not our desert, we will fall on our faces and thank Him. It is in the low place we best grasp His grace. (Luke 15:25-32; 17:12-19; 18:35-43; Romans 6:18)

Are there things about my place in life that chafe and unsettle and make me feel put-upon? Times I think I deserve better, or have earned the right to a little rest, a little special treatment? How might it elevate my attitude, my outlook on service, my sense of honor for work, if I gazed at the manger, and the cross? (Philippians 2:3-11)

“Come to Bethlehem and see
him whose birth the angels sing;
come, adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.” ~English paraphrase by James Chadwick

My Lord, keep me ever in my place as Your privileged servant, faithful and grateful for all You entrust to me. May my living show forth the glories and praise of your bountiful grace. (Luke 19:12-13,16-17,26)

“But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel. And David said to God, ‘I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.’ And the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer, ‘Go and say to David, “Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you; choose one of them, that I may do it to you.” So Gad came to David and said, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Choose..: either three years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or three days of the sword of the Lord, pestilence on the land, with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout Israel.”‘  Then David said, ‘I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.’

“So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell.  God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw, and relented from the calamity. He said to the angel who was working destruction, ‘It is enough; now stay your hand.’” 1 Chronicles 21:7-15a

Almighty God exists as a most exquisite blend of all His attributes. He is indescribable and beyond compare and comprehension, and worthy of deep worship for that very mystery. He who is holy and just and rightly displeased with our sin is also moved with gracious compassion for the judgment it incurs. By His justice, He must act against it; by His mercy, He must intercede for His own. In love, He stays the hand of justice by putting His nail-scarred hand in its place. This is the hand into which David chose to fall. (Isaiah 40:18; Micah 7:18-20; John 3:16; 1 John 1:9)

The Lord Jesus is the beautiful, perfect blend of God-man to be our Savior. The hands that gripped his mother Mary’s fingers, guided his carpenter tools, touched the leper, and overthrew the temple tables are the same that were pierced for our transgressions at Calvary. He laid aside heavenly glory to live on earth to love and work and heal and die for sin on our behalf. Beautifully just and merciful, loving and faithful, He lives glorified today. There is no lack nor longing He cannot meet. (Matthew 8:2-3; 21:12-13; John 19:17-18; 20:20,25-27)

What sin habit, grief, regret, self-deprecation, bitterness, am I withholding from my Redeemer’s hands? What gift of gratitude, adoration, and love will I raise my hands to offer Him?

“Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of the Virgin’s womb:
veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th’incarnate Deity,
pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel.

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth. 

Hark! the herald angels sing,
‘Glory to the newborn King!'” ~Charles Wesley (1739)

Glory to You, newborn King and heavenly Savior, for all You are and do!

“The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments… Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand… His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.

“In the third year of his reign he sent his officials… to teach in the cities of Judah.., having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. They went about through all the cities and taught among the people.

“And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat… Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities, and he had large supplies in the cities of Judah. He had soldiers, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem.”

“Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab…”

“Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem…  And he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers… ‘Be careful what you do… Thus you shall do in the fear of the Lord, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart.’“

“‘O our God… we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you…’ ‘You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid [or] dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.’” 2 Chronicles 17:3-5a,6-7a,9-10,12-13; 18:1; 19:1,4,7b,9; 20:12,17

“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest.” Hebrews 4:11

In setting his whole heart to seek God, Jehoshaphat learned the rhythm and interdependence of striving and resting. His seeking was passionate and zealous, and the peace it wrought overarching and deep. As long as he strove, God blessed him with national and personal rest, while letting up proved unsettling, even tumultuous as he flirted with danger and near death. (2 Chronicles 18:4-22,28-34)

Setting vigilant guard over the spirit establishes a formidable sentry for the soul. The Christian life is a constant ying and yang of striving and surrender, of making every effort and trusting God’s effort spent, of flesh and finished work. Learning the secret balance is to know confidently Christ’s sufficiency and to actively rest in it.

How eagerly, how consistently, am I striving to know and therefore rest in the Lord? And is that in frenzied self-strength which foments unrest, or in the finished work of my Savior that offers indescribable peace? How might I intentionally, dynamically surrender to all He has done and called me to do, and so know His abiding rest in it all? (Isaiah 26:3; John 16:33; Philippians 4:7)

“How silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of his heav’n.” ~Phillips Brooks (1868)

Father, prompt me to seek and strive with diligence, even as I trust Your finished work on my behalf. May I never cease to press on in faith or to praise Your victorious name.

“Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
    shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
    O daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
    he has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
    you shall never again fear evil.
On that day it shall be said:
‘Fear not, O Zion;
    let not your hands grow weak.
The Lord your God is in your midst,
    a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
    he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival,
    so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
Behold, at that time I will deal
    with all your oppressors.
And I will save the lame
    and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
    and renown in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you in,
    at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
    among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
    before your eyes,’ says the Lord.” Zephaniah 3:14-20

Sing! Shout aloud! Is your heart stirred, are your ears attuned? Hear the heavenly rejoicing and singing? The divine melody of exultation and love and promise and hope around you? Immanuel, God with us, is in our midst with heavenly music! Exult all the heart! Here, He has removed all judgment, and saves. He clears away enemies, and guards from fear. He is mighty that we not grow weak. He is glad over His children, and takes away all shame. He is present, near, to gather and build up and restore. Relish the Christ-song, and sing along!

The more we sing the more we want to sing. When do we take in the rhythms of Scripture until they strum our souls to rejoicing? How deliberately do we voice our wonder, thanksgiving, and praise back to the One who sings over us?

“O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go.

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.

O come, O Branch of Jesse’s stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o’er the grave.

O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death’s abode.

O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light.

O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.” ~Translator J. M. Neale (1851)

Lord in my midst, keep me rejoicing all my days over and with Your song!