On That Day
On that day. Those three words denote a dramatic change in perspective and destiny. They provide a window into why and how you should have hope about your future.
Those words appear in Zephaniah 3:16, just a verse before the familiar words telling of a God who takes “great delight in you” and “rejoice[s] over you with singing” (Zeph. 3:17). In fact, the last half of Zephaniah 3 is absolutely bursting with hope and promise! It speaks of a people who will sing and shout (v. 14), who will be honored (v. 20), and whose fortunes will be restored (v. 21).
It is wholly optimistic save one thing—it is all future tense. It is all promised, but not yet arrived or realized.
To the contrary, the first two-and-a-half chapters of Zephaniah are difficult to get through. They are as bleak as the closing passage is optimistic. They speak of judgement and curses and destruction, and as much as you might hope these are all things of the past, this portion too is future tense. Repeatedly, God speaks through Zephaniah saying, “On that day” (vv. 8, 9, 10).
My friend, there is both great trouble and great vindication ahead!
So why should you stand in confident hope today? You should do so because the final verdict “on that day” has already been rendered in your favor! The order of these events matters decisively and conclusively. Yes, there is conflict and chaos and trouble still to come. There is no use denying it. But those things are not dispositive. They are not the end.
The final verdict—the one that follows the chaos and in fact subdues it—is the one that says, “On that day . . . He will take great delight in you . . . will rejoice over you with singing . . . will rescue . . . will gather . . . will bring you home” (vv. 16, 17, 19, 20)!
Friend, your hope is not a naive one. You know and understand the very real challenges of our world. You are not blissfully ignorant. You know there is adversity ahead.
But you also know the order of events. You know Who gets the final say after all else is said and done. Most importantly, your identity is found within the One who will have that final say. He will, on that day, declare, “You are mine” (Is. 43:1).
The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.