"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will run to support thee, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will dance and leap for joy over thee with a shout for joy." [Zeph 3:17]
By God’s grace we have been saved; through the blood of Jesus, and our faith therein, we have been released from all debt to God, from all condemnation to sin, from all liability to the law. We have been “freed from sin,” and “[we] are [no longer] under the law, but under grace.” [Rom 6:7, 14] As it is also written,
“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, [we] have [our] fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” [Rom 6:22-23]
One of the glorious and ripe fruits of this salvation, of this free and full pardon we have received from The Lord, is our standing with God. For we no longer stand as “enemies;” [Rom 5:10] no longer those destined to “perish” as it says: for, “the enemies of The LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke they shall consume away.” [Psa 37:20] No longer do we stand in trembling terror at God’s soon return; no longer shall we, as “that Wicked one” will, be destined to be “destroy[ed] with the brightness of [Jesus’] coming.” [2 Th 2:8] No, but now in Christ Jesus we stand accepted; for we are promised, “he hath made us to be highly favored in the Beloved [Son].” [Eph 1:6] Through Jesus we now have peace and stand accepted and loved in grace. Romans says,
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and boast in [the] hope of the glory of God.” [Rom 5:1-2]
Whereas we were formerly rejected by God, enemies of His, being trapped in “the snare of the devil,” who had “taken [us] captive…at his will,” [2 Tim 2:26] being those who “walked…according to the prince of the power of the air…[being] by nature the children of wrath,” [Eph 2:2-3] yet now in Christ we stand friends of God, brothers of Christ, adopted children. And as such, we can freely approach God through Jesus our High Priest; as it is written,
“Having therefore, brethren, freedom to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus…and having an High Priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” [Heb 10:19, 21-22]
Without fear, without timidity, we can approach God, and that because of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for us and our continued belief therein. But it is not just presently that we can approach God without fear, drawing near to “the throne of grace,” with “boldness and access with confidence” [Heb 4:16, Eph 3:12] – we shall also approach God freely and without fear on the day of judgment. For it has been written for our encouragement and consolation,
“Herein has our love been completed, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as [Jesus] is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but complete love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” [1 Jn 4:17-18]
Boldness means, “courage; bravery…fearlessness…freedom from timidity; liberty…confidence…freedom from bashfulness.” [Webster] In this context, where The Spirit said, “we may have boldness in the day of judgment,” the word boldness means “fearlessness…freedom from timidity…freedom from bashfulness.” Timidity means, “fearfulness; want of courage or boldness to face danger;” and bashfulness means, “excessive or extreme modesty…” [Webster] What a consolation indeed that “we may have boldness in the day of judgment.” On that day, when we stand before God Almighty, the Lord of lords and King of the Universe; on that day when we stand before the Great I Am, before The Alpha and Omega, before The Creator and The Sustainer of all things: yes, on that day, we as mere men shall “have boldness.” We shall not be lacking bravery or courage; we shall not be fearful, neither shall we be extremely modest. No, but because of Jesus Christ, who has made us “a sweet savor unto God,” [2 Cor 2:15] we shall stand before God on that day in triumphant grace; we shall stand before our Dear Father, our Loving Brother, as kings and priests, as children accepted and beloved, prized and glorified.
Whereas most may think of the day of judgment as something to be feared, through Christ Jesus our Lord, who has “delivered us from the wrath to come,” [1 Th 1:10] we can look forward with anticipation. For Jesus’ coming is unto us even as it says, “that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” [Titus 2:13] But it is not just us who look forward to this day with joy; Jesus our Groom and Lord does as well! For our verse for today promises,
“The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will run to support thee, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will dance and leap for joy over thee with a shout for joy.” [Zeph 3:17]
Our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, very King over all, (for, “thy Maker is thine husband; The LORD of Hosts is His name.” [Isa 54:5]), He shall “rejoice over [each of us individually] with joy; [yes], He will rest in His love [for us], [and] He [will even] dance and leap for joy over [each of us individually] with a shout for joy.” What an incredible promise to behold! Does it not give you much joy, dear brother, dear sister, to know that your Lord so desires you? As we also read in Songs, “I am my Beloved’s, and His desire is toward me.” [Songs 7:10] Jesus desires us, loves us, wants us; yes, even further, Jesus longs to see us, to be united with us in heavenly glory; as He prayed earnestly to His Father,
“Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” [Jn 17:24]
And again, “so shall the King greatly desire thy beauty: for He is thy Lord; and worship thou Him.” [Psa 45:11] May we ever be comforted and pleased to meditate on this truth: Jesus longs after us. He desires us. For we are His bride, His inheritance, and His brethren. We are those whom He, “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” thought it “all wisdom and prudence” to shed His precious blood for us and save us. [Col 2:3, Eph 1:8] And now, Jesus patiently and expectantly awaits us in heaven, not for our ruin nor for our condemnation, but that He might, as it says, “rejoice over [us]…[and] dance and leap for joy over [us] with a shout for joy.” So then, let us put on “for an helmet, the hope of salvation,” [1 Th 5:8] and patiently wait for “the marriage of The Lamb,” [Rev 19:7] which is soon to come; let us take great courage, for “the righteous hath hope in his death,” [Prov 14:32] – we have a great hope and a great day awaiting beyond these “things which are seen [and which] are temporary,” [2 Cor 4:18] a great day wherein Jesus our Lord shall rejoice and exult and dance over us in all His glory, and “we shall be ever with The Lord.” [1 Th 4:17]
Click here to see more posts in Daily Meditations on Jesus’ Glory, Vol III