Do you seek justice? Do you seek for your oppressors to be dealt with? Do you desire the outcast to be gathered and saved? Do you desire to see the lame, sick, and injured to be healed? Do you want your shame to be removed and replaced with praise?
All people seek for justice. However, each of them have their own view of what that justice is. Sometimes, their view of justice comes down to what they want or what works in their favor. God’s justice is pure and is dealt at God’s bidding, not by anyone else.
Not many of us are considered outcast. That may be part of our problem. We have acclimated to the culture of our world rather than the culture of God. If we were following Jesus fully, we would be the outcast the prophet Zephaniah speaks of. Then we would be gathered to God.
Most of us would like to see everyone we know who is sick or injured to be healed. We care for them, and we may desire they be healed for our sake as well. Yet, whether it is selfishness or a genuine desire for others to be healed, God will ultimately heal all of them.
The shame Zephaniah speaks of us not the shame we might think of. The shame we think of are things we are ashamed of and would prefer they are never spoken about. Zephaniah is speaking of the shame of professing God, which others will attempt to shame us for, but God will turn it into praise.
The prophet Zephaniah is prophesying what will happen when Jesus returns to take His followers to be with Him forever. Zephaniah did not know Jesus’ name. He did know God and knew his prophecy was God speaking of his coming to set things right and execute his justice for his people. It is a promise we can hold onto today.
I pray we all evaluate how well we are following Jesus. I pray we trust God will fulfill the promises he made through prophecy. I pray each one of us know God’s justice will be served. Choose to follow Jesus. Trust God to fulfill his prophecy. Know that God’s justice will be served.
Zephaniah 3:19
I will deal with all your oppressors
at that time.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
Marty Pressey 