No Longer Afraid
They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid.
Zephaniah 3:13
When the Ethiopian police found her a week after her abduction, three black-maned lions surrounded her, guarding her as though she were their own. Seven men had kidnapped the twelve-year-old girl, carried her into the woods and beaten her. Miraculously, however, a small pride of lions heard the girl’s cries, came running and chased off the attackers. “[The lions] stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest,” police Sergeant Wondimu told one reporter.
There are days when violence and evil, like that inflicted on this young girl, overpower us, leaving us without hope and terrified. In ancient times, the people of Judah experienced this. They were overrun by ferocious armies and unable to imagine any possibility of escape. Fear consumed them. However, God always renewed His unrelenting presence with His people: “The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm” (Zephaniah 3:15). Even when our catastrophes result from our own rebellion, God still comes to our rescue. “The Lord your God is with you,” we hear, “the Mighty Warrior who saves” (v. 17).
Whatever troubles overtake us, whatever evils, Jesus—the Lion of Judah—is with us (Revelation 5:5). No matter how alone we feel, our strong Savior is with us. No matter what fears ravage us, our God assures us that He is by our side.
By Winn Collier
REFLECT & PRAY
Mighty Warrior God, I need You. I need a Mighty Warrior to stand with me and overwhelm my fears. I’m choosing to trust You.
What is your greatest fear right now? How does God’s promise to be with you encourage you?
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Zephaniah wrote during the time of the reforms initiated by Josiah (Zephaniah 1:1), the last good king of Judah (2 Kings 22:1-23:25). Josiah had rediscovered the “Book of the Law” (22:8) and had it read aloud to the people of Judah. Perhaps this is why Zephaniah directly echoes many of the themes of Deuteronomy. Zephaniah prophesies that God will initiate the judgments Deuteronomy warned of. But He will also initiate their repentance: “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples” (Zephaniah 3:9); “I will remove from you your arrogant boasters” (v. 11). God’s judgment purifies His people. Tim Gustafson
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