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Day Twenty-Three of Advent

Scripture

“Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: ‘Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by his love; He will exult over you with loud singing.’”

— Zephaniah 3:14-17

Devotional

Christ gives us victory because He takes away the judgments against us. Our sins bring death and the wrath of God, but Christ Jesus removes those judgments, making our case legally clear before God (Rom. 3:21-23). Still, the devil prowls around looking for men to devour. Yet, we can rejoice because Christ’s death on the cross disarmed the devil’s power and triumphed over him (Col. 2:15). Because Christ dwells in our midst, we need never fear evil again.

Christ’s victory brings us joy. We rejoice because our King is in our midst and continues to bring us the fruits of our salvation. He, too, rejoices with us because we are His and He delights in us. His love is so large and so personal that our hearts are overwhelmed with peace. This peace truly leads our hearts to say, “Joy to the World!”

Prayer

Lord, You are our King and You dwell in our midst. We praise You for delivering us from the wrath we deserve. Yet You not only justified us, You came to quiet our very hearts and rejoice over us as Your very own. Lift up our hearts with the joy of Your presence. Amen.