Tuesday Meal Fast, June 17th

Zephaniah 3:16-17 


16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: 
 “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. 
17 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 prefer explaining this text as the calm silent joy in the possession of the object of one's love, too great for words to express: just as God after the six days of creation rested with silent satisfaction in His work, for "behold it was very good" (Genesis 1:31, 2:2). So the parallel clause by contrast expresses the joy, not kept silent as this, but uttered in "singing."

He will rejoice over you with joy, He will not only be well pleased with you, upon your repentance and reformation, He will take you into His favor, but He will take a complacency in you, as the bridegroom does in his bride, or the bride in her ornaments, Isaiah 62:3-5. The conversion of sinners and the consolation of saints are the joy of angels, for they are the joy of God him-self.

Where are the places in your life that you know God has been singing over you and the places you need God to sing over you? What other insight has God shown you in this scripture? Feel free to send a comment back to me.

The reason for our time of fasting (weather you do a meal fast or an all day fast) for June and July is to direct our time of prayer towards our needs. Here are some of our needs:
1) We need a gifted person to lead our children's ministry for the long term.
2) We need more labors that can continue to help us grow and equip people for the work that God has for us.
3) We need our location locked down as we look towards September and the start of our weekly worship services.