Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV): “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.”
I have all spent a lot of time in my home the past several months. I have gained about 5 pounds without really trying. I don’t think I’m alone. When I reflect on my fitness and body, it is very easy to think back to previous years when I didn’t carry quite so much weight. I ponder my own fitness regularly.
I know that I’m not alone with having concerns about my own image. I recently read that 91% of women have issues with how they think about themselves. My goodness. I’m sure that men, as a whole, are not far behind that statistic. With all of the media bombardment of what “attractive” means, I guess it is no surprise the extent to which people want to change to conform to an ideal of some sort.
In the face of that, we come to this verse from Zephaniah. I don’t know about you, but the thoughts found in this verse are amazing! God, as the “Mighty Warrior,” saves us! God sent Jesus to take care of our sin problem. That is really good news. But the verse doesn’t stop there. God delights in me. That is something! I am delightful to God. He also doesn’t rebuke me any longer. Why then should I rebuke myself?
The last thought is almost beyond my comprehension. God sings over me. Someone singing to me leads me to feeling love and acceptance. The thought that the Creator of the universe rejoices over ME with singing is… well WOW. Knowing that I can look for His songs over me in creation, in others, in songs recorded by artists. Really, if God feels that good about me, then I need to accept myself, and join God in His rejoicing over me.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, first of all, help me to let go of the false narrative that I must adhere to an image that others try to define as acceptable. Instead, may I embrace how You feel about me. Thank You for Your delight in me. Wow! I love You, Lord.