God is looking for true worshippers; true adorers, who long for Him, and long to love Him with all they are and have. In Zephaniah God announces His judgement over Judah because they had turned back from following the Lord. The real problem was that they had become stagnant in spirit and had stopped longing for Him, and weren’t seeking Him. By the end of the book, God declares that He will redeem a remnant of the people who have been carried off into the dispersia. He would redeem them because He found in them the heart of worshippers. He found a remnant who even in their separation longed for Him, and in their hearts adored Him. Chapter 3 tells the story of remarkable redemption and restoration. God renews them in His love and rejoices over them (us) with singing. I’ve come to realize something about the heart of God, and that is that He can restore those who long for Him no matter what their condition. He isn’t looking for repentance first, He is looking for longing. He can bring a longing heart (who deeply regrets where they are and are desperate for Him) to the place of repentance. They may no even know how to repent and get to Him; they just know they, even in their sin, want Him badly. He can work with that. He wants to be longed for and loved more than He wants to be served. A witnessing life must flow from a worshipping heart. God’s first and foremost desire will never change, that we would love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. May His first and great commandment be our first and great passion.
