Zephaniah: Seeking the Lord in Humility
Devotions this week based on The Prophets Week 9 – Zephaniah (WATCH HERE)
“Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.” Zephaniah 2:3 (NIV)
After confronting Judah with the seriousness of sin and the certainty of coming judgment, Zephaniah’s tone shifts dramatically. In the midst of warning, a door of hope opens: “Seek the Lord.” Even in wrath, God makes a way for mercy.
The prophet’s call is simple yet profound. He doesn’t tell the people to build stronger defenses, find new leaders, or reform their politics. Instead, he invites them to return to the only refuge that truly matters, the presence of God Himself.
Zephaniah emphasizes humility as the key of those who seek the Lord. Pride blinds us to our need for grace. Pride leads us to think that we don’t need the law and direction of the Lord. Humility opens our hearts to realize our need for forgiveness. Humility accepts the correction the Lord gives. Humility opens our hearts to receive the direction and ways of the Lord as the guide for our lives. The humble take God at His word, admit their need, and submit to His will.
The result? Even when the storm of judgment approaches, the humble find shelter under God’s mercy.
This verse reminds us of a consistent truth throughout Scripture: God’s wrath is not His final word. His invitation to repentance always precedes it. Like Noah before the flood or Nineveh before the Lord’s destruction, Judah still had time to turn back.
God’s heart has not changed. He still calls His people to seek Him. He still calls people to repentance. He still calls people to trust him and walk in his ways. When we humble ourselves and seek His righteousness, we discover that His anger turns away, and His grace draws near.
Humility is not weakness. Humility is strength under submission. It is the willingness to admit that we cannot save ourselves, fix our own hearts, or control outcomes apart from God.
Our world rewards pride and self-sufficiency, but God looks with favor on those who bow low before Him. Jesus echoed Zephaniah’s message when He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) The poor in spirit are those who know they need God every moment.
In practical terms, seeking the Lord in humility means cultivating a lifestyle of dependence on him. It might look like starting your day in prayer before you reach for your phone. It could mean confessing sin quickly instead of covering it. It means treating others with gentleness, knowing that you too stand by grace alone.
And when the world feels unstable, humility keeps you grounded. You may not be able to change everything around you, but you can choose to seek the One who never changes. As you do, His peace becomes your shelter.
The humble heart doesn’t presume upon God’s mercy—it treasures it. It seeks righteousness, not to earn God’s favor, but to walk in alignment with His heart. The humble person discovers that the safest place in any storm is not self-protection, but in the embrace and promises of the Lord.
Apply :Where might pride or self-reliance be keeping you from experiencing God’s peace? How can you practice humility before the Lord this week?
Prayer: Gracious Father, teach me to walk humbly before You. Forgive me for the times I’ve trusted my own strength or defended my pride. I want to seek You with a pure heart—to depend on Your wisdom and not my own. When life feels uncertain, remind me that humility is my shelter and your grace is my protection. Cover me with Your mercy and lead me in righteousness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Zephaniah: The Day of the Lord — A Call to Wake Up
Devotions this week based on The Prophets Week 9 – Zephaniah (WATCH HERE)
“The great day of the Lord is near—near and coming quickly. The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.” — Zephaniah 1:14 (NIV)
The prophet Zephaniah opens his short but powerful book with a thunderous warning. The phrase “the day of the Lord” rings like a trumpet blast throughout the first chapter—reminding God’s people that His patience has limits and that His holiness demands justice.
Zephaniah ministered during the reign of King Josiah, a period of political reform but spiritual complacency. Judah looked faithful on the outside, but inside, hearts were cold. Idolatry thrived, and people assumed God either didn’t care or wouldn’t act. They had forgotten that God’s covenant love includes both mercy and discipline.
When Zephaniah spoke of “the day of the Lord,” he wasn’t describing a 24-hour event, but a time when God steps into history to judge sin and set things right. It is both terrifying and hopeful: terrifying for those who persist in rebellion, but hopeful for those who long for forgiveness and grace.
The same God who declares judgment is the One who offers grace. His wrath is never impulsive; it is the burning purity of love refusing to coexist with evil. The “day of the Lord” reminds us that God will not leave sin unaddressed forever. It’s His promise to make all things right, both in the world and in our hearts.
Zephaniah’s message may seem harsh at first glance, but it is actually an act of mercy. Like a loving parent warning a child of danger, God confronts His people not to destroy them but to awaken them.
In our modern world, spiritual complacency is just as real. We may not bow before carved idols, but we often serve subtler ones—comfort, success, approval, or entertainment. We might attend church faithfully, yet drift through our days without true awareness of God’s presence or holiness. Zephaniah’s words pierce that fog: Wake up! The Lord is near.
When God confronts you through His Word or life’s circumstances, it’s an invitation—not condemnation. He is calling you to align your heart again with His. Take time to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of compromise or apathy. Maybe it’s unforgiveness you’ve ignored, habits you’ve justified, or devotion you’ve delayed. Respond in repentance, God’s mercy meets you there.
The “day of the Lord” is not meant to fill us with fear but to stir us toward faithfulness. It reminds us that history and our individual lives are moving toward a divine purpose. Every day the Lord points us toward that coming day when Christ will reign in perfect righteousness.
Instead of living in dread, we live in readiness. Instead of being lulled by comfort, we are energized by hope.
Application: Where might God be calling you to wake up spiritually? What attitudes, habits, or distractions could be dulling your sensitivity to His voice?
Prayer: Lord, awaken my heart. I confess that I often take Your grace for granted and live as though I have endless time to turn back. Shake me from complacency. Help me see sin the way You see it, and give me courage to repent and return to You fully. Teach me to live alert and faithful. Keep me close to You until that glorious day when Your righteousness fills the earth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Habakkuk: Joy and faith in suffering
Devotions this week based on The Prophets Week 7 – Habakkuk (WATCH HERE)
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. (Habakkuk 3:18-19)
Today marks the 508th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted 95 Theses or statements by which he desired to spark a debate on the selling of indulgences for the forgiveness of sins. This practice was providing money for the coffers of Rome and empty promises to the people who bought them.
Luther’s journey of faith had come to realize the truth that Habakkuk wrote of in 2:4, “the righteous will live by faith.” Rightness before God was not a work of effort, but rather a gift of God’s grace because of the work of Jesus Christ.
This truth freed Luther’s conscience and is still the heart of the confessional Lutheran church that we are assured of salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, found in Scripture alone.
So freeing was this teaching that Luther put his life on the line to bring this truth of Scripture back to the center of the church’s teaching. While the Catholic Church and the papacy have yet to shift to this focus, the truth has been encouraging and comforting the hearts of many Christians for the past 508 years.
Living by faith is challenging. It means letting go of my control and putting my heart and life fully in God’s control. At the beginning of his oracle, Habakkuk had asked the questions of the Lord as to why wickedness continued or why a wicked nation would be used to bring justice to Judah. He was content to realize that with the Lord as his Savior and strength, the other externals of life were secondary in importance. The song he sings in Habakkuk 3 is reflective of this truth. The last two verses put what living by faith results in: Rejoicing in the LORD!
Even though judgment was coming, the economy would collapse, the crops would fail, and the livestock would die, he declares: “I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
This is not denial; it’s defiance of despair. Habakkuk’s joy is not in outcomes but in God Himself. The “sovereign Lord is my strength” (3:19).
Habakkuk began with complaints and confusion; he ends with confidence and praise. That is the transformation of faith.
Luther began with confusion and the crushing weight of guilt, he ends with confidence in the grace of God and praise for the goodness of God.
When we struggle with confusion over what God is doing or question why something is happening, remember the conclusion of Habakkuk: no matter what is happening around me, as I live by faith I can ALWAYS rejoice in the Lord and find strength in God my Savior!
Apply: Find peace in God’s promises even when life is uncertain. Remember God’s faithfulness endures even when physical strength fades. Faith doesn’t remove the storm — it anchors you through it. True joy doesn’t come from what we hold but from who holds us.
Prayer: Lord, even when the fields are empty and the plans fail, teach us to rejoice in You. Be our strength when we are weak, our joy when life is hard, and our salvation when all else fades. Help us live by faith, walk in hope, and sing with joy because You are enough. Amen.
Habakkuk: Remembering God’s Power
Devotions this week based on The Prophets Week 7 – Habakkuk (WATCH HERE)
“Lord, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day.” — Habakkuk 3:2
Habakkuk ends not with despair, but with a song. In the midst of uncertainty, the prophet turns to prayerful worship. He receives the Lord’s answer to his questions and recalls the mighty acts of God. As the Lord had acted faithfully in the past, so he would now. He had led Israel through the Red Sea, conquered nations, and saved His people. The more he recalls the faithfulness of the Lord, the more his faith grows.
In verses 3–15, Habakkuk paints a poetic picture of God marching across history like a divine warrior. “His glory covered the heavens and His praise filled the earth” (3:3). The imagery recalls Exodus 15, where Moses sang after the Red Sea: “The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is His name.” Habakkuk knows that the God who delivered Israel before will not abandon His people now.
Verse 2 is a prayer for mercy: “In wrath, remember mercy.” Habakkuk acknowledges that judgment is coming, but pleads for God’s compassion in the midst of it. The Lord had shown a pattern of mercy in the midst of his justice. Habakkuk never saw it, but the same tension he felt was resolved perfectly in Christ: at the cross, God’s wrath and mercy met. Justice is satisfied; grace is poured out.
Remembering God’s past faithfulness strengthens faith in present trials. Habakkuk gives all of God’s people a faithful reminder. When we are in a moment that it is hard to see how God is acting or will act, remember the power of God he had shown before. It doesn’t have to be just a personal experience (although you may have those too), but rather we have all the examples in Scripture of God’s power and faithfulness. Like the psalmist in Psalm 77:11–14 reflects, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord… You are the God who performs miracles.”
When fear rises, look backward before you look forward. Rehearse what God has already done in Scripture, in history, in your life. Parents can teach children family testimonies of answered prayer. Couples can recall how God carried them through storms. The retired can share stories of God’s providence that younger generations need to hear.
Remembering the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord is not an escape from reality; rather, it’s an anchor in it. As you sing, pray, and remember, you are proclaiming that the God who was faithful yesterday is still faithful today.
Apply: What changes in the situation(s) with which you are dealing if you remember the deeds of the Lord and how he has shown up with power and presence in your life?
Prayer: Lord, we have heard of Your fame and stand in awe of Your deeds. Do it again in our day! In wrath remember mercy. Stir our hearts to remember Your faithfulness and to trust You for the future. You have been our refuge in generations past. Be our strength again today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Habakkuk: The Lord Is in His Holy Temple
Devotions this week based on The Prophets Week 7 – Habakkuk (WATCH HERE)
“The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.” — Habakkuk 2:20
God was going to use wicked Babylon to bring judgment on Judah. At first it didn’t make sense that God would use the wicked to punish those more righteous. But as Habakkuk “lives by faith” there is need to trust that God is working even when we can’t see it.
God was not overlooking the pride and sin of Babylon. They too would fall under God’s justice. The nation God uses as His instrument of judgment will itself face judgment. Five “woes” ring out in this section:
The Lord denounces the sin of Babylon:
- Greed: (v. 6) “‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion!
- Deception: (v. 9) “Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin!
- Violence: (v. 12) “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice!
- Exploitation: (v 15) “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!
- Idolatry (v. 19) Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.”
The message is clear: no power, however mighty, stands beyond God’s justice.
Babylon builds its empire on blood and fear (2:12). It trusts in wealth and military strength. But God reminds Habakkuk, “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (2:14). The glory of human empires fades; the glory of God fills eternity.
The lesson is not just for Babylon, but for us as well. If we think we can build our personal kingdom on the efforts of our own pride, taking advantage of others for our own gain, or prioritizing material and earthly gain over the Lord, we are sorely mistaken.
It may seem like these ways work for a while. One may experience “victories.” One may have an increase in wealth. But when the heart is not aligned to the Lord, we fall under his judgment. Temporal, earthly gain and standing will not stand up against the Lord’s glory. Sin is exposed and we must fall silent without excuse.
“The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.” (2:20).
This is not the silence of fear, but of awe. When Isaiah saw the Lord in His temple, he cried, “Woe is me!” (Isaiah 6:5). When Job finally encountered God, he said, “I put my hand over my mouth” (Job 40:4). Reverent silence acknowledges the perfection and power of God.
In that silence, the Spirit of God invites us to turn from our pride and arrogance back to him. For there from His holy temple, the Lord will certainly forgive and restore us to his grace.
Apply: How are you building your spiritual home? Is it on things that will perish or things that will last? Remember real security is not in wealth or success but in God’s unshakable rule. Homes built on pride crumble; homes centered on Christ stand firm.
Prayer: Sovereign Lord, You rule from heaven and see all that happens on earth. When pride and injustice rise around us, remind us that You reign. Teach us to be silent before You, not in fear, but in faith. Humble our hearts, purify our motives, and fill us with reverent awe. May our lives proclaim Your glory. Amen.