I FEEL LIKE PRAISING GOD
Zephaniah 3:14–17 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart.
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing
Alright, if you didn’t come to play today. Then I need you to repeat this after me. I Feel Like Praising God. May I tell you that this is not a cute title, but it’s a declaration.
Let’s set the stage.
Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of King Josiah.
In this time Judah was spiritually corrupt. Idolatry was everywhere. Judgment was coming.
And if you get some time, go back and read the early chapters of this book, because they are filled with heavy warnings, wraths, and about the Day of the Lord.
But then, chapter 3 shifts.
After judgment, comes restoration.
After wrath, comes rejoicing.
After correction, comes celebration.
God ends the book not with thunder, but with singing.
That alone will preach.
The people deserved discipline, but God promised deliverance. They were coming out of spiritual darkness, and God tells them to Sing.
Why did he want them to sing? He wanted them to sing because He was still in their midst.
He gave the command to Praise.
He wanted them to sing, shout, and rejoice.
He didn’t want this passive worship that people give today trying to be all cute. Noooooo, the Lord wanted a loud, expressive, unashamed praise.
Notice something powerful:
The command to praise comes before everything looks perfect.
Israel was not fully restored yet.
They were still recovering.
But God says, praise Me anyway.
Some people praise God because everything is good.
But those that know the Lord, praise God because He is good.
Notice, I feel like praising God is not based on circumstances, it is based on revelation.
Why do I feel like praising God?
First, because He Is In The Midst
The Bible says. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty.
Not around you.
Not near you. but in the midst.
That means in your crisis, he’s in the midst.
In your confusion. He’s in the midst.
In your church.
In your home.
When your phone bill is due.
And your light bill is too. God is in the midst.
We are not surviving because we’re strong. We are surviving because He is present.
Somebody shout:
He’s in the middle of it.
The second reason I feel like praising him is because, He is might to save. In other words, he has the power. To save me.
The phrase He will save in the Hebrew word implies deliverance with power.
Not barely saving.
Not almost rescuing.
But stepping in with strength.
That means:
He saved your mind.
He saved your family.
He saved your ministry.
He saved you from yourself.
That ought to be enough to make you feel like praising Him.
I feel like praising God, because God Rejoices Over You
This part right here will mess up religious people.
He will rejoice over thee with joy. He will joy over thee with singing.
Wait a minute.
We’re used to singing to God.
But this text says — God sings over YOU.
The Almighty God is not tolerating you.
He is celebrating you.
You are not a burden to heaven.
You are heaven’s delight.
If God can sing over me.
I can surely praise Him back.
We must understand that praise is a response to presence.
We don’t praise because life is easy.
We praise because God is near.
We don’t praise because you have no battle.
We praise because the warrior is in the midst.
Some of you came in heavy.
But when this revelation hits you, something on the inside of you, should raise up.
You ought to say, I don’t feel like crying today, I feel like praising God.
When I think about His goodness. I feel like praising God.
When I think about what he has brought me through, I feel like praising him.
When I remember what He brought me over. I feel like praising God.
When the enemy thought he had me.
When I realize He’s still in the midst. I FEEL LIKE PRAISING GOD!
There ought to be a praise after the judgment.
Remember, this book starts with warning.
Sometimes the reason I feel like praising God is because He corrected me, and didn’t cancel me.
He disciplined you, but didn’t destroy you.
He pruned you, but didn’t uproot you.
He humbled you, but didn’t humiliate you.
May I tell you that correction is proof of covenant.
That’s why chapter 3 ends in joy.
There was a woman who lost almost everything in a house fire.
Pictures gone. Furniture gone. Years of memories gone.
Standing in the ashes, someone asked her, How can you keep smiling?
She said, because the fire burned my house, but it didn’t burn my God.”
That Sunday she walked into church and sang louder than anyone.
Not because everything was restored. But because she discovered something:
If He’s still in the midst. There is still hope.
If He’s still in the midst. There is still a future.
If He’s still in the midst, I still have a reason to praise.
So when I look at:
The doors He opened.
The danger He blocked.
The sickness He healed.
The traps He broke and the mistakes He forgave us.
Something ought to rises in our spirit.
This woman starts singing her song ,and he walks with me, and he talks with me, and he tells me that I am his own.
Is there anybody in here that feels like praising God?
Some of you came in discouraged.
But today you’ve been reminded:
He’s in the midst.
He’s mighty to save.
He rejoices over you.
And if God is singing over you
you ought to be able to sing back.
Lift your hands and say:
Lord, I feel like praising You.
You stirred something in the room.
Judah had drifted.
Idols were everywhere.
Justice was crooked.
Worship was polluted.
So, God raised up Zephaniah during the reign of King Josiah (around 7th century B.C.). And Zephaniah didn’t start soft. He preached about the Day of the Lord is a coming judgment. The early chapters thunder with warning.
The people were spiritually numb. Comfortable in sin. Thinking God wouldn’t act.
God acted and then he gave them something to shout about.
