Tuesday Reflection – April 07, 2020 A God In Our Midst

Tuesday Reflection – April 07, 2020 A God In Our Midst

A reading of Zephaniah 3 reveals Jerusalem as a city that has become oppressive, rebellious and corrupted. She is disobedient and refuses correction. She no longer trusts in the Lord her God nor does she engage in true worship. The rulers are dictators and her officials take everything they can with no thought for tomorrow. Her religious leaders lack principle and work the law to their purpose. Even with signs of God’s wrath all around her, the city still refused to repent. Its amazing how much of a parallel we see between the Jerusalem on which God pronounced judgment through the prophet and the world in which we live today. God however did not end with judgement. Immediately following the pronouncement of judgement is the promise of restoration. Today’s watchword from Zephaniah 3: 15 is God’s promise of hope and restoration:  The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. 

Two kernels of truth are presented to us. Firstly, the Lord is in our midst. To understand God in our midst is to examine the presence of God among his people from the very creation where He walked in the Garden of Eden, from the presence of God as a pillar of cloud and a fire as Israel journeyed through the wilderness, from the positioning of the tabernacle in the center of the community each time they stopped to set up and finally when they established their capital city, Jerusalem. God’s presence was central to the very existence and success of the community. It is when the people began to move away from the centrality of God’s presence, i.e. when they began to replace God, that judgement was passed on them. When we try to displace God we soon discover that it is us that have been displaced. According to Professor Susan Booth, ‘the Old Testament traces God’s mission in terms of his presence with His people’. As long as God was present all went well but when the people rebelled God withdrew his presence leading to disaster. It happened in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned. It happened when Israel sinned and was displaced into Babylonian captivity and it happened when they remained unrepentant leading to the destruction of the temple and the scattering of the people all over the world. We also note however that with each of these displacements, came God’s promise of restoration. In the Garden there was a promise of restoration. When Israel was taken captive there was the prophecy of returning to Zion. When the Jews were scattered around the world they brought their worship and therefore the presence of God with them. It is through His presence that God brings redemption to a fallen humanity. Thus in the midst of our brokenness, brought on by our disobedience and disregard for God, God prepares the way for us to experience repentance and restoration through His presence. The second truth is that we will never have to fear disaster. Note that the text does not say there will never be another disaster. No. It says we will have no need to fear. The doctrinal text from Mark 4: 40 sheds light on this. In Mark 4 Jesus was on a boat with the disciples when a severe storm arose. Their futile struggle to remain in control caused them to appeal to Jesus for help. Jesus spoke peace into the turmoil and immediately all was still. He asks the disciples in verse 40 “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” This week more than any other reminds Christians that we are not a people of fear. God came to us in Jesus, died on the cross and rose from the dead so that we may return to God’s presence. This gives us assurance, this gives us peace and it is for this reason that we should not be afraid, even in the midst of disaster, even in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic. Our God is present with us, He watches over us and will see us through all this. Yet that is not all. As we approach Easter, we need to be reminded that through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross we were granted the gift of eternal life. God’s ultimate plan is not for us to inhabit this world forever, but to be with Him in His eternal city, the new Jerusalem. With such promises and provisions, why should we be afraid? God is with us and has a future for us that goes beyond any disaster that may take place. Let us accept God’s gift to us through repentance, let us remain faithful and keep trusting God as he leads us through these days unlike any we have ever seen. Fear not, for God is with us. Amen.   
Bevon White