What is your view of your God? Do you see Him as an angry and just God? Then you will likely be afraid of Him. Then you may do the things He wants you to do, but you do them out of fear of his anger and his wrath.

Do you view Him as a very forgiving and compassionate God? Then you may be more inclined to live a rather carefree and careless life before the LORD, a life with little or no effort to exercise self-control. Or you will curb the evil desires that sometimes rise up within your heart since you see God as One who is infinite in love and mercy, One who will always forgive anyone who comes before Him with a contrite heart, genuinely seeking his forgiveness.

Between these two opposite ends are many variations. Hopefully, most of us stand somewhere in the middle so that we reckon with God’s mercy and God’s justice equally. We acknowledge that He will indeed be very angry with our sins, yet we know that He is also very forgiving in our Lord Jesus Christ, even when we fail after having given our best effort.

God Who Has Pleasure⤒🔗

But, apart from viewing God as a merciful and just God, have you ever viewed God as the God who also has pleasure; who takes pleasure; yes, even as the God who sings? Indeed, in Scripture we read about much singing, singing about God, and singing to God: to God the Father as our Creator and God the Son as our Recreator, our Saviour. But what about God Himself singing? We don’t hear so much about that.

Yet that would appear to be what the Word of the LORD, via the prophet Zephaniah, would be revealing to us when Zephaniah wrote in chapter 3:17b:

He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with his love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.

Then it appears that our God is also a God who has joy, who takes delight, who also loves to sing. What would our God then be singing about? That’s a good question.

What does God Sing About?←⤒🔗

We sing and the songs in Scripture sing about the majesty, glory and grace of our LORD, about the goodness, compassion, and love of our LORD, about his righteousness, justice, and gracious mercy. Yet, there are also those who know these virtues of the LORD, who confess them, and yet live grumpy lives. They never seem to sing spontaneously, but only sing when they are in a group setting, such as in a worship service. It never seems to come up within them to sing at any particular moment or on the spur of the moment. Others sing almost constantly, either in words or in whistling a tune. You can hear them whistling while preparing the meal, washing the dishes, or sweeping the floors. They do that because joy is on their hearts. That joy is there because of knowledge. Yes, they too, have knowledge of and experience the very same misery and sorrow as those grumpy persons who never seem to be able to sing unless driven by a group setting. But they also have knowledge of who their LORD God is and what He has done for them and how wonderfully they can now live in the joy of that knowledge and conviction.

Now, from the book of Zephaniah, we also receive a glimpse of the joy of our Lord’s heart. That is more often expressed in Scripture. The Lord delights in those who are his, those who walk in his ways. For example, Psalm 147:11 says: “the LORD delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” Here, in Zephaniah 3:17, the LORD takes delight in his saving work.

Zephaniah prophesied concerning the coming judgement that will surely come on the nations, as well as apostate Judah. But Zephaniah also made clear that God would yet be merciful towards his people. He would restore a remnant by his saving power. And the LORD takes pleasure in the work of his hands. He takes pleasure in saving his people; so much pleasure that He rejoices with singing. His heart is filled with joy in doing this marvellous work for his people. It is of great value to us to know that our God is a joyful God. He is a God of joy. He is a God who ultimately delights in things. He is such a God of joy that He thinks of things that give Him delight. Yes, that is our God.

Created in His Image←⤒🔗

And then to think, that we were created in his image. We understand that to mean that we were created in true knowledge, holiness, righteousness, having dominion. Since we have a God who takes pleasure, who has joy, He would also then have instilled this joy in man’s heart when He created man. Man was neither created to be grumpy, nor to be depressed, sorrowful, distressed, burdened. No, as God took delight and rejoiced over his beloved with singing when He saved them from inevitable eternal damnation by the power of his hand, so the LORD would also have created all things out of joy in the beginning.

Yes, sometimes, a person asks, “Why did God create everything anyway? Was God lonely? Was the LORD bored so He sought for something to do? Did He think to create the heavens and the earth in order to find some relief from his boredom?” I doubt that. God is not a lonely God. Our God is not a God who has a need. He is a God who is all in all, so He does not lack, has no needs; nothing is missing. He has it all. He is the one and only true God, the One and Only who exists from eternity to eternity. Yet, although He is the one and only true God, He is not a lonely God, for our God exists with three: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There are three distinct persons within the one godhead of our God. He could not have been lonely, for these three persons, although very distinct, yet are so united that they support each other in every way. There is such a bonding within the Trinity that cannot be found anywhere else. No, our God is not a lonely God that He should create the heavens and the earth out of loneliness, out of boredom, for something to do. Quite the contrary.

Why Create?←⤒🔗

Why then did God create the heavens and the earth? Well, I would suggest, that perhaps He did so out of the great joy of his heart, for joy, pleasure, glory, and praise. For He is also a God who is joyful, who has joy, who has delight and takes pleasure. You sisters know how you sometimes want to knit or sew something, or bake something, or plant some flowers; not because you need it, not also because you are bored, but simply out of the joy of your heart. You enjoy knitting or sewing, gardening, baking. You take pleasure in doing those things and, as you take pleasure in them, doing them out of the joy of your heart, you also receive joy and pleasure. Just doing these things that you enjoy doing out of the joy of your heart may then also move you to sing or to whistle a tune.

The LORD created the heavens and the earth out of the sheer joy of his heart. He took pleasure in the work of his hands. After He had created all things, He stood back, as it were, much like a builder would do, delighting in the work of his hands, or as a painter would do, adoring his painting, or as a housewife would do, admiring the sweater she knit, the birthday cake she made, or the meal she made, etc. So our LORD God had a good look at what He had made and He said, with much joy and delight in his heart: “Yes, indeed, it is very good.”

Joy in Man Too←⤒🔗

Now, if God is a God of joy, then would man whom He created, whom He had given the possibility to express emotion, not also have been given the ability to enjoy, to have joy, and to express joy? Would that not also have been part and parcel of being made in the image of God? God, being a God of joy, would also have created man with the ability to have joy and to express joy. We can be sure that Adam and Eve, before their fall into sin, certainly had much joy, joy as the LORD God walked with them in the garden, joy as they took care of the garden of the LORD, joy in their relationship with each other and with the other creatures God had made. Then you can imagine that, as Adam and Eve did their work, they would have sang a song of praise for such a wonderful and magnificent God, for such a wonderful relationship with God, for each other, and for God’s beautiful creation in which they may serve Him. You can also imagine the LORD God singing a song in his heart, rejoicing in his handiwork, a song that spoke of the wonders He had placed in each creature, and how they now give Him praise and glory for his indescribable majesty and unfathomable wisdom.

The Joy Stopped←⤒🔗

But suddenly, there was little singing; in fact, there was no more singing. Just as the songs at a wedding banquet suddenly are cut short because of news of a sudden tragic death in the family, so suddenly there was no joy in heaven, no joy in the heart of our Lord, no joy in Paradise, no joy in the heart of Adam and Eve for they rebelled against God. There was disobedience, disloyalty, disrespect for authority, and rebellion for the Creator of all things. And when those things occur, the beautiful, glowing flames of joy go out.

You can be sure that there was no singing on the LORD ’s heart, no tune on his lips as the LORD God walked in the garden to meet with Adam and Eve after they had sinned. It was not the sound of joyous singing or the whistling of a glad tune that alerted Adam and Eve that the LORD God had come to the garden to meet them. No, the joy had gone out. And yet, our God remained the God of joy. And because He is a God of joy, He would not allow sin to destroy everything He had made. Yes, all things would need to be purified through fire, even the very elements of this earth will melt in the heat. (2 Peter 3:12)

Yet God will establish a renewed heavens and earth on which only righteousness will dwell. He will do so at the cost of shedding the blood of his only beloved Son. And so, when the LORD God found man and his wife, He punished them with curses, curses that affected not only themselves, but all of the heavens and the earth. Yet, the LORD God also spoke of promises, promises of a Redeemer to be born of a woman who would save them from their sins. That promise of the Redeemer to come left joy in man’s heart, that is, in the heart of he who would believe it and live in it in faithfulness. It gave man hope. And, in that hope, he could still have joy, find joy, and receive joy. But man must believe that hope of eternal life in order to receive joy and live in that joy. The strength of his belief would determine the degree of joy he would experience until after this life. God will again grant man full and complete joy in the restored Paradise, the New Jerusalem, having restored man completely in his image through his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith Leads to Joy←⤒🔗

That the strength of his belief would determine the degree of joy he would experience can be compared to a young lady who was promised by her boyfriend that he would give her a promise ring on her birthday. Then, that promise should give her joy, should it not? But what if she doubts his word? Do you see that her joy is related to how much she believes his word? If she doubts his word, rather than receiving joy, she receives misery.

She would have been better off not having heard that promise. But if she really believes it without a doubt, her joy is great, as great as if she had already received the ring. Yet, at the moment of actually receiving the ring, her joy would be complete and would know no limits.

Yes, for as long as this mortal, fallen, earthly life continues, the joy that existed at creation will never be the same again. Yet, the God of joy left joy in the heart of man, in the man who lives by faith.

Now of course, since the fall into sin, we can break down joy into two categories: earthly joy and heavenly joy. While there are things in this life in which the Lord does grant us to take pleasure so that we may have joy and also be an expression of our joy (such as marriage, the bearing and raising of children, even our jobs to certain extent, although there will also always be a certain amount of slavery to it, a weariness of the flesh – “by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food” Genesis 3:19), yet, only the things that focus on the life to come can give us everlasting joy: that joy that the LORD intended to be a part of our lives if we would not have eaten from the forbidden fruit.

Remain in the Joy of Faith←⤒🔗

But let us remain connected with the topic of the day, namely, depression. This depression can quench the joy of faith. Let us see how we can combat this so that, despite struggles in life, even very bitter ones at times, we can still live in the joy of faith with singing.

Now we all know the definition of faith. Our Heidelberg Catechism defines it succinctly: a sure knowledge of all that God has revealed to us in his Word and a firm confidence that God grants the salvation of Christ also to me, out of mere grace. In one word, it can be said that faith is trust. Just like a young lady has to trust that what her boyfriend promised would really happen in order for her to have immediate joy, so we must trust that what God had promised us in his Word will really happen in order for us to have immediate joy. And then we also have this beautiful fact in Scripture that, not only has God already confirmed his promise in the coming of his Son, in his Son’s death, resurrection and ascension into heaven, but also, in the outpouring of his Holy Spirit into our hearts we already have the first deposit of the fulfillment of his sure promises. It is at the same time a guarantee of what is to come (2 Corinthians 5:5).

It is when the wedding rings have been bought that there is a sure guarantee that the wedding will take place. But remember, the young lady could only rejoice after she received knowledge of her boyfriend’s plans and she had faith in her boyfriend’s promise, trusting that he would do as he said.

Now it may be that from the time her boyfriend promised the ring to the time she received the ring, she said and did things to him which were not so nice, to the point that it made her doubt whether he would stay true to his promise. She could understand if he would break his promise. Yet, he had made his promise to her. Would he now keep it or not? Then, she has two choices. She could either dwell on her doubts, causing her to go deeper into despair, or she could remind herself of his actual word of promise and remember that her boyfriend has always been a man of his word. She also has the opportunity to go back to him and ask him to reconfirm his promise unto her. She can then go on with joy in life, trusting and believing in her boyfriend’s promise, eagerly waiting for the day he would fulfil his promise.

God Remains Faithful←⤒🔗

Our lives with the LORD our God are very much like that. It is out of the joy of his heart that He, out of grace alone, has sought to continue a relationship with us. He comes to us with wonderful promises. He promises to be Father unto us and He promises not to hold our sins against us for his Son’s sake. He promises us a glorious future with Him.

But as we go through life, life can at times become so burdensome. There are times when a certain misery tears at our hearts and minds, leaving us devastated. And sometimes, through weakness, we do fall into sins and we can be very angry with ourselves for having fallen; we of all people, God’s people, should have known better, should have done better. You can then begin to doubt God’s promises, for you do not always have them sufficiently before your eyes. The miseries, the burdens, the concerns of life can sometimes cause the joy of our faith, our trust in God, to grow dim for a time.

Then we have two choices. We can wallow in our doubts, perhaps also in self-pity, but that will not do us any good. More often than not, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. When you say to yourself often enough that you are a terrible person, you are good for nothing, nobody likes you or cares for you, then that is exactly what can happen. The reason is simply because most people don’t care to associate with grumpy people who only have themselves in focus and wallow in their self-pity. But we also have the choice of reminding ourselves of the promises of God. We not only have the choice of reminding ourselves of what we have learned about Him, know about Him, even confessed about Him when we publicly professed the faith, but also, we have the opportunity to go to Him in prayer. Then He also directs us to his infallible Word, his Word of promise that endures forever.

Amen to That←⤒🔗

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord stands forever,” said Peter (1 Peter 1:24, 25). For the man or woman who wants to be stable in life, who wants to live in the joy of faith in life, it is important that he/she has a healthy self-image that reflects dependence on God. Then we must always return to his Word. And that Word would remind us of blessings, manifold, undeserved and wonderful blessings. And then first of all, in the Scriptures, God reveals to us that He is a God of his Word. “For no matter how many promises God has made,” said Paul, “they are ‘Yes’ in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20). We who live in the end of the ages can say our Amen to that, to the joy of our faith, and to the glory of our God.

In the Scripture, God reveals to us that He is a faithful God. And, because He is faithful, Paul says, He will also not let you be tempted or require you to face trials beyond your strength. With every temptation or trial, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it (2 Corinthians 10:13). And that way out is to come to Him in prayer.

The Lord Jesus said, Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.Matthew 7:7, 8

Ask for comfort and strength through prayer; seek comfort and strength from the Scriptures; when you so knock at his door, He will give rest for your souls; He will quiet you with his love.

The Lord Jesus also told his burdened people whom He loved to come to Him, to throw off the yoke of formalism and legalism of the Pharisees – and we may add, to throw off the concerns and anxieties of life – and instead to look to Him, to take his yoke upon ourselves and to learn from Him. Then we will find rest for our souls (Matthew 11:29, 30). And that yoke is to remember that, because of sin, there will be suffering; there will be misery.

Nevertheless, because Christ has taken that yoke on Himself, all our sins and misery upon Himself, all our grief and sorrow, our depressions and burdens, we may go through life with a light burden. Our suffering will not be unto death as his was, but a suffering unto life, a suffering through which God purifies us, moves us to rely completely on Him, the only source of life.

In Difficult Times←⤒🔗

Yes, when you are down and burdened, just think and read again about the wonderful God that you have and about his wonderful promises. Remember how you were fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).There are thousands of parts to your body, yet they all work together in perfect harmony. You have an amazing God! And what is man that God is mindful of him (Psalm 8)? Man was the crown of his creation. Man was the creature who was to give the Creator, the ultimate joy. Instead, man gave God bitter grief. Man is less than a drop in a bucket, even dust on the scales (Isaiah 40:15).Yet, God is mindful of man. What a gracious, loving and merciful God we have!

And look at his handiwork! (Psalm 19, Psalm 104, etc.). Every season is beautiful. Every season we see the mighty hand of the Creator at work. Every creature receives what it stands in need of. Then remember the words of our Lord Jesus,

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Do not worry about what you will eat, drink or wear. (Matthew 6:26-31). Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will have enough concerns of its own (Matthew 6:34). “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all (that you stand in need of) will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). Why? Because “you were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20), “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19). And so, you are his. “The Lord knows those who are his.” (2 Timothy 2:19). Of them, He has said: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (And) so we (can) say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5, 6).

Where Does my Help Come From?←⤒🔗

Therefore, when you are depressed or burdened with grief and sorrow or with struggles in life, remember to look up to the hills, and ask yourself again, “Where does my help come from?” and He will remind you that your “help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. (And) He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you ... will neither slumber, nor sleep ... He will watch over your life; ... your coming and going both now and forevermore” (Psalm 121). But you must trust that: “as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, both now and forevermore” (Psalm 125:2). And you must believe in God’s sure promise for you, for by believing they are yours, just as the Lord Jesus said concerning our eternal life in John 3:36: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” Yes, “The LORD is with you when you are with Him” (2 Chronicles 15:2).

And He has promised to be with us to the end of the ages (Matthew 20:20). Indeed, “those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31). “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love, into our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5).

Be “confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion, until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). He did not bring you to the faith to drop you like a hot potato. He brought you to a life of joy for what He has done for you; to a life of joy in your faith, which will express itself in a love for life, in a love for others, and reaching out to others regardless of need. But above all else, a love to serve the LORD in obedience and faithfulness to the best of your ability all the days of your life until you may enjoy life to the fullest in his service, upon Christ’s return.

Yes, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High (for as long as this life continues) will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). When you live close to Him, come before Him regularly in prayer, constantly read the Scriptures and also take the time to meditate on his Word, while also faithfully attending the proclamation of his Word, then you may be sure that you will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Your Lord will overshadow you with his love and mercy. He will give the ability and the strength, to go on in life. Though misery at times may be great, you will yet be able to sing a song or whistle a tune, despite a heaviness in your heart, because you trust in the Lord and so you can go on in the joy of your faith in Him.

By his Spirit, who works in you through his Word, whose comfort you seek, you will be able to say: “I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust’” (Psalm 91:2). Yes, “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

Therefore, think of these things that God has done for you in Christ, for these are truly noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy things to think about. Then we know that “the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8, 9). You “can do everything through Him who gives (you) strength” (Philippians 4:13).

Daughters of Zion are to Sing←⤒🔗

Zephaniah told the daughters of Zion to sing, even to shout aloud, to be glad and rejoice with all their hearts. The reason was because the LORD had been gracious. He had taken away their punishment and turned back their enemy. What happened to the people of Judah in that day is true for all those who trust and believe in the Lord still today. The LORD has graciously taken away our punishment in his beloved Son’s bitter and shameful death on the cross. And having turned back the great enemy in our lives, Satan and death itself, He will also stand by and grant us all that we stand in need of.

And therefore, the Word of Zephaniah is very appropriate for us, namely “do not let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” He takes pleasure in saving you, rejoicing over you with singing. Our God is a singing God, a God of joy. You should then also take pleasure in his saving you. You should then rejoice with singing. And so, not only be content and joyful in life, but also draw others to the Lord, as you share your joy for your life in Christ.

We ought then to be a singing people, a people who sing with rejoicing. And that is also why you find in so many places, the people of God singing as, for example, in the Psalms. Read Psalm 66, 81, 95, 96, 98, 100, to mention but a few. Yes, singing is characteristic of God’s people because they are living in the joy of faith which they have received from their gracious God out of grace alone, in Christ’s merits.

Yes, there will be down days. But we know where to go to find rejoicing again, to find comfort, to again be able to sing a song of rejoicing, to again whistle a tune of joy. Take one day at a time. Take each day as “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

In conclusion, remember that the Lord Jesus once told his disciples in John 15:11, “I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” We are given knowledge about our Creator God, who is at the same time our Saviour God. Let your Father and your Saviour delight in seeing you live in the joy of what He has done for you. Make your joy complete by living trustingly in the knowledge of this salvation. “Sing, O daughters of Zion, ... be glad and rejoice with all your heart!” Take one day at a time.