The Secret To Lasting Joy From Chapter 3 of Zephaniah

Zephaniah 3:14-17 NLT says, “14 ‘Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 15 For the Lord will remove His hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the Lord Himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster. 16 On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, ‘Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid! 17 For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.’“

These verses show that when the Lord rules, He will remove His hand of judgment, He will disperse our enemies, and He will to come and live amongst His people. When God is in control, He will rejoice over and bring joy to His people. This sounds amazing, but how can we implement this passage into our daily lives?

Well, this Scripture teaches that when we invite God to live among us, He will bring victory, gladness, and peace. So often we seek after these things in our own strength. However, when we pursue our own happiness, or our own idea of happiness, we strive without success.

Seeking our own joy never works because we are never truly fulfilled outside of Christ. We may find joy for a moment or a season, but it never lasts. Living this way ultimately leads to sin and a life of constant searching. When we do this, we forget that God is the only one who can give us that true sense of happiness.

This sounds cliche, I know. But before you click away and say, “Oh yeah, he’s going to say that God is the only one who can make us happy,” let me go deeper and explain. Zephaniah points out that we find true and real joy in our lives when we live in community with God and He delights in us. When we faithfully follow Him and obey His commands, that is when transformation happens and we receive a different kind of joy – a joy that endures.

Let’s look at verse 17 a little bit closer. You’ve may have heard it many times before: “17 For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

The part that stands out to me is this: “He rejoices over us with singing.” If we meditate on this verse, it becomes quite simple… if we really want to experience joy, we must draw close to the Source of happiness and joy. We do that by following God with every single ounce of our strength. Tangibly, this can look like:

• taking time to read our Bibles each day
• talking to God about anything and everything
• listening to songs that turn our hearts toward Him

Are you looking for that lasting joy that only God can give? Let’s seek His face today. If you don’t know where to begin, start small by praying and inviting Him into your day. He will surely answer you and make His presence known. Joy will follow.