Reflection on Zephaniah 1:7,12-18

Scripture
I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those people who sit there unworried while thinking, “The Lord won't do anything good or bad.” (v.12)

Observation
This prophecy was given during the reign of Josiah of Judah. It was a time of revival, of recovering the Torah after decades of neglect.

Zephaniah is saying that the Day of the Lord is a time of judgement, not just for those who are obviously sinful but even for those who think that God is irrelevant to their lives. Judgement will certainly come to those who dismiss God's ability or desire to act.

Application
There are many people around, even some who claim to be christians who believe in practical every day terms that God is irrelevant to their lives. Prayer is a spiritual exercise unrelated to reality rather than a cry from the heart. People sin openly, believing that we can get away with it.

But God is here. God is in control of our daily lives. He will intervene either for “good” or “bad” from our perspective.

I think here of Jesus' words to the Laodiceans in Revelation: “You are neither hot nor cold so I will spit you out of my mouth.”

God is looking for heart-level devotion to Him, a passionate daily communion in which every part of my life is lived in His presence and His participation.

Prayer
Father forgive me for my tendency to lock you out of parts of my life, for my belief that you aren't really here with me right now. Let me live each day in celebration of Emmanuel- God is with us.