What’s a celebration without music?

Imagine a birthday party where nobody sang. Or envision a bride walking down the aisle to complete silence. Picture Christmas without carols. It all feels off, doesn’t it? Celebrations require music! We sing when we have something to sing about – something worth celebrating.

Did you know we aren’t the only ones to sing when we celebrate? In Zephaniah 3:17, God sings too.

The LORD your God is in your midst,

a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing

Do you see what makes God sing? It’s the redemption of his people. He rejoices over his church with gladness. He sings over us.

If you read the rest of Zephaniah, you’ll notice it isn’t all rosy. The prophet declared that judgment was coming on the nations and on Judah for their sin. But judgment isn’t the final outcome – celebration is. In chapter 3, God delights at the removal of judgment. He sings for the day when judgment will be removed and love will quiet his people’s hearts.

But God isn’t just singing about a day. He’s singing about a person. Specifically, He’s singing about his Son. The Father is celebrating his Son because Jesus is the one who removes our judgment. Jesus took on flesh to be physically in our midst. Jesus is the one who quiets us by his love. What makes our God celebrate? The salvation of his people in Jesus.

When was the last time your salvation caused you to break out in song? Sometimes it’s hard to remember the gift we’ve received. We get so caught up in the busyness and difficulties of life. But don’t let all the noise drown out the music! Let us remember that salvation is a gift so precious that it even causes God to sing joyfully in celebration. Let us live our lives in song, joining God in celebration of the life we have in Jesus.

In Him,

Tom