May 29: He Rejoices Over You

When you picture God looking at you, what expression is on His face?

For many people in recovery, the honest answer is a frown. Or disappointment. Or a tired patience, like a parent who’s given up expecting much.

Zephaniah says something very different. The Lord your God is among you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.

Singing. Over you. Not over some future, cleaned-up version of you. Over you, now.

Zephaniah’s book is mostly warnings. Judgment. Hard words. And then, near the end, this. It’s as if God couldn’t hold back how He feels about His people once they turn back to Him.

You’ve spent the last two months looking honestly at your faults. Resentments, fears, harms, the exact nature of your wrongs. That was necessary. But it’s easy, after all that, to assume God sees only those things when He looks at you.

He doesn’t. He sees His child. Someone who’s coming home. And He’s glad.

Take a moment today to notice small wins. Another sober day. A hard conversation you didn’t run from. A meeting you went to when you didn’t feel like it. A craving you rode out. A truth you told. These aren’t small to God. He’s rejoicing over each one.

It’s not that sin doesn’t matter. It’s that grace is bigger. God dealt with your sin at the cross so that He could rejoice over you without holding anything back.

If it’s hard to believe, try reading the verse slowly, once in the morning and once at night, for a week. Let the words sit. You don’t have to force yourself to feel it. Truth has a way of sinking in over time, especially truth spoken by God.

And consider sharing one of your small wins with someone today. Joy grows when it’s shared. Your sponsor or a friend in recovery will be glad to hear it.

One thing today

Write down three small wins from this past week. Then read this verse aloud and imagine God singing over each one.

A prayer

Lord, it’s hard to believe You rejoice over me. I’m used to expecting a frown. Thank You for Your joy, Your love and Your singing. Calm me with Your love today. Amen.

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