The Lord your God is with you.
He is a hero who saves you.
He happily rejoices over you, renews you with his love,
and celebrates over you with shouts of joy. Zephaniah 3:17
God is a Party Animal?
God is a party animal. This is the image of God that you don’t hear about very often. Party animal and God – you wouldn’t think anyone could possibly use those two terms in the same sentence, right!?!?
A Superhero
I think a lot of people have a mental image of God as distant or disapproving, but that is not what the bible says. God is always with us. When we turn to Him, He is the Superhero who saves us from our sins and all of their eternal consequences.
The Life of the Party
But He is not a stone-faced, angry superhero like some in movies today. He is filled with joy and laughter and the life of the party, pouring out His love for you and me as He celebrates the restoration of relationship with us.
His Love Sweeps Over Us
See, God created us to be friends with Him. He longs for intimate friendship with every person. The moment we let go of the sin that separates us from Him in His holiness, the party starts. A gigantic grin spreads across His face as His love sweeps over us, making us new and clean.
Then, a cosmic shout of elation erupts from the lips of the almighty God. He is so excited. He literally shouts over you and me.
Throws a Big Bash
Like the father in the story of the prodigal son, who runs to his son when he returns home, God puts on the spread and throws a big bash in our honor.
Even in the old testament we see revealed a composite of God characterized by festivals and feasts that He plans for His people. God loves a good party.
Action Step:
Today, let’s embrace the party spirit of our God. Settle in to the idea that God is a party animal. Let’s find our joy again in the renewing love of our Savior. Let’s be intentional about smiling more, shouting more with joy, and celebrating with God over our restored relationship with Him. What can you do today to revel rather than regret?
Prayer:
God, renew our minds and help us to celebrate with you. Enable us to feel your joy in us today and all through our lives as we follow you. Help us to share with others about your Superhero saving power and invite them to the party. In Jesus’ name, amen.
P.S. A while back, this verse was a focus verse for our whole church. We memorized the God’s Word translation of this verse, so that is the one I used when I did my bible art journaling entry for it. I love the joyful language that is completely accessible even to my kids. This is a great verse for our kids to memorize. It will start to instill in them a mental picture of God as cheerful Savior rather than angry taskmaster.