At that time I will bring you in; yes, at that time I will gather you. For I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your captives before your very eyes,” says the LORD.

— Zephaniah 3:20

2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the exiles of Israel.

3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

— Psalm 147:2-3

I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD. They will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with all their heart.

— Jeremiah 24:7

Then He will restore you from captivity and have compassion on you and gather you from all the nations to which the LORD your God has scattered you.

— Deuteronomy 30:3

Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

— John 14:23

Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.

— Hebrews 13:15

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and salvation from Christ to you.

God restored His exiled people to Himself and led them to worship as He had commanded. He provided for them to reinstate the worship practices their 70-year exile had diminished. God, who took His people into physical exile, delivered them out of spiritual exile. The rebuilding of the temple and reinstatement of sacrifices and festivals involved far more than stacking bricks and resetting calendars. God had always desired heartfelt worship from His people, not just external compliance to His laws.

God is not like us; His demand for worship is not self-serving. Surrendering to God and living in communion with Him is the highest calling and greatest blessing we can experience. God always has our best interests in His heart. Wholehearted surrender and careful obedience to God strikes a blow at the sinful, self-oriented posture our fallen hearts prefer. Serving and honoring God also means resisting external pressures and enemies who oppose God and His people. True worship of God will always meet opposition in this world. To stand with God means trusting Him to mold our hearts to His purposes. He equips us to do what He commands. We can only do this in His strength-not our own. God enables His people to worship Him, despite opposition.