God wins

Zephaniah 3:19

At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered.  I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame.  NIV

This passage in Zephaniah is rich with reminders not to worry.

God promises to deal with our oppressors …

Miriam Webster.com defines “oppress” as “to crush or burden by use of power or authority.”  I have dealt with many people in my life who have felt oppressed.  I have certainly felt oppressed myself.  Here, God reminds us that He will deal with those who oppress others … in His own time, and in His perfect way.  We will never know what is going on in another person’s life such that they feel the need to make ours more challenging, but, God knows.

He will rescue the lame …

This one is a very special reminder to me.

Physical challenges are funny things.  Yesterday, or perhaps it was the day before, I heard a snippet of a radio story.  A man was speaking about climbing a particularly challenging mountain, and he was detailing the perils of one of the passes that had to be traversed to get to the top.  I thought to myself, “why on earth would anyone ever want to do such a thing?”  As I thought about it more this morning, it occurs to me that physical challenges may be a necessary part of our life here.  If you are not blessed with them at birth such that you are physically challenged by what others might accomplish with ease, perhaps a certain percentage of people must seek them by pushing the limits of their endurance.

I’m wondering if we all want that feeling of being rescued, of escaping a terrible peril.  Perhaps, while I am assured that my rescue will come in time, others must seek that experience here and now.

I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame …

There’s no reason to spend time worrying … in the end, all injustices will be set right.  My mother often says, when faced with a challenge, “That’s ok … I know what happens.  I’ve read the end of the book, and I know who wins.”

I do, too.

That’s what I’ll think about today.