God Rejoices Over Us

Psalm 100:2 (NLT) says,

Worship the Lord with gladness.
    Come before him, singing with joy.

That is, not only should we praise God, but we must do so with "joy." That theme is repeated throughout the Bible.

But that "joy" flows both ways! Several days ago, a stranger saw me holding a Bible, and he told me to check out Zephaniah 3:17. (Evidently, this is a famous passage, but I wasn't aware of it.) Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT) reads,

For the Lord your God is living among you.
    He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
    With his love, he will calm all your fears.
    He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.

So God rejoices over us! But why? In the grand scheme of this universe, we are lowly and insignificant. It's a testament to God's love that he views us as something special.

I wish I could find that stranger who pointed me to that passage in Zephaniah, so that I could thank him. I'm convinced that God used that person to point me to a passage I needed to see.