God’s word to God’s people in perilous times. The 7th century B.C. was a time of trial for the people of God in the southern kingdom of Judah. The northern kingdom, Israel, had already fallen to Assyria a century earlier, and the threat of Assyria and the rising power, Babylon, were ever present among them. Where will God’s people put their trust in these perilous times? Into this maelstrom YHWH raised up prophets like Zephaniah and Habakkuk to remind his people that He also was among them, and mighty to save. In the words of these prophets, God assures his people of every generation that despite seemingly overwhelming opposition and the wandering nature of their own hearts, He is faithful. And though his people may feel abandoned living among the empires, God himself is in their midst, quieting them with his love.