Days

08.07.14

Zephaniah 1.7 Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.  – Zephaniah the Prophet (NIV)

When I read through the Old Testament prophecies I run across the term often: The Day of the Lord. I used to think the Day of the Lord was singular and sometime time off in the distance; eventually arriving when things would then be different. Today, I realize there is more than one day of the Lord.

When Zephaniah (Zeff-on-ee-ah) taught, the end was right around the corner – we would say imminent, or present. Now, by the end, I don’t think it was the end of Israel (Judah). It was the end of the way things were; eventually the nation returned from exile in Babylon. (It seems to me that Babylon must mean: You want the world baby, you got it!) The Day of the Lord was soon going to be His presence through the invading armies of Nebuchadnezzar, the siege, the captivity, and the deportation. The Day to Zephaniah was right around the corner, and it happened.

There is reference in the Old Testament to another Day of the Lord. It wasn’t to come for another 700 years or so, but it came. That Day showed up with a Baby born in obscurity and poverty bringing light and wealth of God’s presence into the world, indicating that things again had changed, and the way we used to do things was gone forever.

In that day the Lord said: As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. (John 9.4) I’ve tried to work through that sentence and can’t; but I can say this: there is yet another Day of the Lord coming – a day when all things will change, forever.

Now, where ya goin’ with all this, Paulie? Only here: the Days of the Lord are the moments of His visitation and there have been plenty of them throughout History. (He never leaves – He is omnipresent – but on/in those days, His presence is more obvious than at others\ times.) And here’s the dealio: the Day of the Lord, for the one who believes, is every day. Now that isn’t to say that every day is Christmas, or every day is Children’s Day; but it is to say that God is more obvious at some times than at others; we’re rolling up on 9-11 and we might be mindful that that day could’ve been (and ultimately was) a day of the Lord for some. Our choice is how we choose to look at it.

Today, is a day of the Lord for me because I accept His presence in all I do and seek His presence in all I do. I think there’s a Day of the Lord coming for America that she isn’t going to relish. I think that day will be the loss of her power and relevance. But that is all the more reason to be ready for the Day of the Lord today. I think our readiness today and every day will be what gets us through the next Day of the Lord when it happens. And it’s coming.

Father, my thought today is this: as I live today, I live in the presence and power of the Kingdom. Today, is a day from You and I’m to rejoice and be happy in it – that is what I will do. Help me to see the days properly and to live each day appropriately: depending upon You obediently. Father, help me to see You this day in all I do – amen!