GOD’S WORD FOR JUNE 27 ~ ~ Zephaniah 3:12 ~ ~ “I will leave in your midst
A meek and humble people, And they shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord.”
“The Pleasures of God” by John Piper
And now you say, “Almost I can feel this unspeakable wonder that God exults over me—even me—with loud singing.
But there remains one obstacle. You said that God loves his own glory above all things. You said that he takes pleasure in his own fame and the honor of his name.
I have not honored him as I should. In fact, I have dishonored him all my life in one way or another—sometimes just forgetting about him, sometimes angry at his way of running the world. I don’t see how he could go on taking infinite pleasure in his own glory and still get so excited about me—-even exult over me with loud singing.”
And I say, “If that is your last obstacle then make ready to sing! For the answer is given in Zephaniah 3:12.
“I will leave in your midst
A meek and humble people, And they shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord.”
You are right that God delights in the glory of his name above all things. That’s the point of this book. Nor would we want God to find his joy in any lesser beauty than the infinite beauty of God.
But now ask yourself this question: If you wanted to be folded into the very joy that God has in his own glorious name, and be a part of that very pleasure of God, where would you go? Where would you seek refuge from the displeasure of God?
Zephaniah 3:12 answers this too: “THEY SHALL SEEK REFUGE IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.” Here is the connection between God’s delight in his name and his delight in you.
When you take refuge in his name, he exults over you with loud singing.
Seeking refuge in the name of God honors God, and when God is honored he rejoices.