May the mumbling commence!

The Judgment Day is a day of restorative justice.  We wait upon the Lord for His redeeming Word.  Read from Zephaniah 3:8-13 –

            “Therefore wait for me," declares the Lord,

                        "for the day I will stand up to testify.

            I have decided to assemble the nations,         

                        to gather the kingdoms

            and to pour out my wrath on them –

                        all my fierce anger.

            The whole world will be consumed

                       by the fire of my jealous anger. 

            "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples,

                        that all of them may call on the name of the Lord

                        and serve him shoulder to shoulder. 

            From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers,

                        my scattered people, will bring me offerings. 

            On that day you will not be put to shame

                        for all the wrongs you have done to me,

            because I will remove from this city

                       those who rejoice in their pride.

            Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. 

            But I will leave within you the meek and humble,

                       who trust in the name of the Lord. 

            The remnant of Israel will do no wrong;

                         they will speak no lies,

                         nor will deceit be found in their mouths.

            They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid."

Wait on the Lord.  To wait on the Lord is, at times, excruciatingly difficult – especially when hard judgments are on the horizon.  The fierce anger and jealous wrath of the Lord will consume the entire world.  It sounds frightful – but, to what end?  The fire of the zeal of the Lord will purify.  All God’s people will be gathered and will be tested by the fire.  The dross will be removed – the prideful and the haughty. 

And the meek will inherit the earth.  (Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.)  These people are meek and humble because they trust in the name of the Lord.  No deceit will be found in them, and no one will make them afraid.  What wonderful promises for a people surrounded by threats and destruction!  Let us actively receive the call to trust in the name of the Lord and claim the promises found therein.

Do we have need of fear?  Of course we do!  But fear the Creator rather than the creation.  Read from the call of Jeremiah recorded in Chapter 1:4-10.

            The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 

                        "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

                                    before you were born I set you apart;

                                    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

"Ah, Sovereign Lord," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." 

But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord.

Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth.  See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."

Great power has our Lord to form and create us for His purposes.  If we but trust in the Lord, great power will be entrusted to us – great power and great responsibility.  God promised to always be with Jeremiah.  God has promised to always be with us. 

Let us gather together as children of our Lord and learn to seek and trust in the Lord Jesus.  Wherever two or three is gathered, there is Jesus in our midst.  Together we can learn to trust in the Lord; divided we will fall to the wiles of Satan.  Let us gather together to learn the message God has for us to preach.  Let us scatter to our daily lives and faithfully proclaim that message – the best message of all The Good News.

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out