Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 (NRSV)
Read Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 on biblegateway.com
Verse 7Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is at hand; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, he has consecrated his guests. Verse 12At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who say in their hearts, "The Lord will not do good, nor will he do harm." Verse 13Their wealth shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them.
Verse 14The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter, the warrior cries aloud there. Verse 15That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, Verse 16a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. Verse 17I will bring such distress upon people that they shall walk like the blind; because they have sinned against the Lord, their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Verse 18Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord's wrath; in the fire of his passion the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a terrible end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Devotion
Most mornings I am hesitant to open the newspaper or logon to my media accounts for fear that there has been another shooting or more vitriolic rhetoric that brings the Doomsday clock closer to midnight. At first read, the words of the prophet Zephaniah do not seem to help until we focus on verse seven: "Be silent before the Lord God." If our construct of God is big enough, we can rest in the surety that God has this world and its events under control. If death could not contain the work of God and God's purposes, neither can a few rantings of mad persons or tyrants.
Prayer
Lord God, creator of all things, calm our minds and hearts so that we can do the work we have been given to do without fear or self-concern. Help us to look for the signs of your presence and be willing to interpret them for our neighbor. Amen.