“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.” Zephaniah 3:17
We do not often consider that God sings, but He does. We know that Jesus sang hymns with His disciples, even prior to His betrayal and crucifixion. However, what we find written in the book of Zephaniah is God, the Lord Jesus, singing for joy. It is the expression of His joy when He comes to save, to bless everlastingly those whom He loves. We see this joy when in the parable of the ninety and nine sheep who are safe in the fold, the shepherd goes forth to seek the one who is lost. When he comes again, after finding his sheep, there is great joy, and a cause of great celebration. We know from the Gospels that there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repents. Singing, as an expression of joy and praise, is seen in the Lord Jesus Himself who is thoroughly delighted to save to the uttermost those who trust wholly in Him. How is this related to the topic of the almighty power and authority of God?
The answer is found in not only God’s desire to bless, and to save, but in His everlasting and supreme power and authority to do so. On one occasion, when the Lord Jesus was addressing his disciples concerning His role as the great shepherd of the sheep, He said: “…Therefore doth My Father love, Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father.” (John 10:18) What is the Lord saying here? The Father is Almighty, possessing all power and authority in heaven and in the earth. He is sovereign over all things, and thus, all things are possible to Him. As Christ submitted Himself to the Father’s authority, the authorithy of the Father was given to Him, enabling Him to overcome every hindrance, obstacle, and all opposition. He received the authority and power of the Father to lay down His life, and take it up again. Herein is the Almighty power of God revealed in and through the Son in greatest measure, that in submission to the Father’s will, He should be able to accomplish perfectly the “impossible” work of dying on the cross, taking upon Himself the sin, and sin’s judgement, of the entire world. That same authority and power are revealed in His resurrection, escaping the enslaving grasp of death, now to be seated victoriously at the right hand of the Father. How then does the knowledge of God, as the Almighty God, practically apply to the believer?
When Christ, the Savior of the world, took upon Himself flesh as a man, He identified with us in a complete manner, only without sin. He thus demonstrated that this salvation in Him was for men to know in its power and promise. He told His disciples: “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.” (Matt. 28:18) The saving authority and power of Christ has been communicated to the church, His body, as revealed in His words to Peter: “…upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 16:19) As every believer submits to the authority of Christ, God communicates His authority to him. Receiving it by faith, the believer begins to overcome as Christ overcame.
The knowledge of God as the Almighty is a great comfort to the believer. The Psalmist wrote: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Ps. 91:1) Herein is revealed the blessed keeping power of God in the life of the believer. Christ’s power and authority become increasingly known by faith.
Dear Father, Be our Sovereign today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.