Singing With The Lord

by Lonnie Lane

Did you know that God sings? He sings over us with gladness and great rejoicing as One who has fully accomplished the deep desires of His heart. Here’s what brings Him to overflow with such joyful song while commanding us to do the same:  

“Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: ‘Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing’” (Zeph.  3:14-17).

This prophetic passage isn’t telling us that Israel would have gotten it all perfect (finally) because they won’t; none of us will. It was because He had accomplished on their behalf what they were incapable of for themselves. It is not only a promise to Israel yet to be fulfilled unto completion, but as most prophesies have a “now and not yet” reality to them, there is much of this that is for whose lives belong to the Lord now.

Remembering to Show Gratitude for Answered Prayers

Steve Diggs

Here’s an understatement: Life is busy. If you are like me, the 168 hour week you are presently experiencing is only about half of what you need. Sometimes busyness and tight deadlines cause me to perform in a less than considerate way. I rush out in the morning without kissing Bonnie. I don’t engage in meaningful conversation with friends. I forget to pet the dog.

And, sadly, sometimes I forget to thank God.

There have been so many desperate moments in my life (as I would suspect there have been in yours) when I was left sucker-punched and gasping for air. In the Retooled and Refueled Seminar I speak of the time we learned that our daughter, Megan, had a growth on her spine. The day that we learned that our largest client had filed bankruptcy and the future of our firm was in some question. The doctor’s visit that began with the words, “This isn’t going to be a very pleasant meeting.” Stop for a moment and force your mind back to a similar situation in your own life. Maybe you don’t have to think very hard. Maybe your immediate response is, “Steve, I’m in the middle of one of those moments right now! And, frankly, it doesn’t feel like a moment—it feels like an eternity.”