“Be silent before the Lord God!
For the day of the Lord is at hand;
On that day … On that day … And on that day.” — Zephaniah 1: 7ff
Here we go again. Another prophet with another warning of terror.
To be a prophet, you need a strong heart.
It takes courage to call people to silence so they can hear,
and when you have their attention, tell them things they don’t want to know.
Zephaniah has a heart that lives up to the meaning of his name.
His Hebrew name means, “Treasured by God.”
When you know yourself deeply beloved, perhaps it gives you
the kind of eye that sees trouble coming,
and a voice urgent enough to wake the faithful
from their indifference and apathy.
Zephaniah cares about justice.
And the Day of the Lord is coming.
It is coming.
It is coming.
And perhaps it will open the way
for a future in which all things are made new
by God, the One who treasures,
not just Zephaniah,
but you, and you, and you too.
What might your day be like if you lived as one “Treasured by God?” Draw a small heart on your hand so you will notice it and recall your name is “Treasured by God.”