Sing, Daughter Zion;
shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
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 will remove from you
all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
which is a burden and reproach for you.
At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed you.
I will rescue the lame;
I will gather the exiles.
I will give them praise and honor
in every land where they have suffered shame.
At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes
before your very eyes,”
says the LORD. (Zephaniah 3:14–20 NIV)
I recently read that it is biologically impossible to feel anxiety and sing at the same time. The physical act of singing stimulates your parasympathetic response. It activates your vagus nerve and controls your breathing, all factors contributing to a restful and calm spirit, literally changing your anxiety to joy or hope. Such a great testimony to why we worship! This passage in Zephaniah, written to a scattered, exiled people, finds them hurting and hoping for redemption. The people of Israel are far from home due to their own disobedience, and because of other nations’ disobedience against them. The faithful remnant is losing courage. However, the Lord wants to change this remnant’s anxiety and despair to become trust in his actions for them. He tells them to sing aloud, to dwell in the truth that they are his daughter and he has taken away the judgement against them.
God goes on to point them to the reason for their hope, why they can sing. The Redeemer is approaching! Despite the conditions they are in, God promises the Messiah will come into their midst and then they will have no need to fear. He will change their anxious despairing posture of arms hung limp to arms raised high in praise. Not only that – God will join them in their praise by singing over them, his beloved whom he promises to bring home, where they will dwell in his blessing.
Many days we can empathize with Israel’s initial condition. We live in the liminal space, the in-between. The Messiah they were waiting for has redeemed us; Jesus has come! But we are also often mired in the kingdoms of this world, which are corrupt, sinful, and far from God. It can leave us vulnerable to our own sense of despair or restlessness, and we lose perspective.
Nevertheless, our reminder again today is that we are daughters and sons of the King, children of the Kingdom that can never be destroyed! God became flesh and dwelt among us in Jesus, and now dwells within us in the Holy Spirit. This Kingdom speaks life and light to darkness. Raise your arms and voices again, brothers and sisters. Declare his truth to your weary, vulnerable soul. Allow Jesus to transform you from the inside out to be a hope-bringer to those who desperately need it.
When God’s restoration seems remote, what can you defiantly do to remind yourself of or declare truth? Read this passage again, reminding yourself of the actions your King is taking on your behalf. What hope can you sing over someone hurting today? “Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel has come to thee, O Israel!”
Christine Okken is the executive assistant to Dr. Harry Kelm, the NAB executive director.