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Zephaniah 3:12-17
But I will leave within you
the meek and humble.
The remnant of Israel
will trust in the name of the Lord.
They will do no wrong;
they will tell no lies.
A deceitful tongue
will not be found in their mouths.
They will eat and lie down
and no one will make them afraid.”
Sing, Daughter Zion;
shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”
New International Version (NIV)
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“In every church, you will find at least one person who has a heart for God. When things get difficult, find them and listen to them.” One of my mentors and seminary professors, Dr. Virtus Gideon spoke this to the young pastors in my class. Having listened to him pray, we trusted him when he taught us. As in other matters, Dr. Gideon did not mislead us that day. In our four pastorates and other churches we have helped, we have found many who fit in this category.
Zephaniah preached and wrote during the time of Josiah, the promising young King who tore his clothes when he heard the book of Deuteronomy read aloud. Things had gone desperately wrong. Soon Josiah himself would lose his life in a battle against Pharaoh Neco of Egypt. Zephaniah began by saying, “On the last day it will all be swept away.” Like Amos before him, Zephaniah went through a roll-call of Israel’s enemies and pronounced judgment on them. Then in this dark report, he offered a single ray of light: God will preserve a righteous remnant of the meek, humble, faithful and truthful.
Our God, the Mighty Warrior, takes no delight in bringing judgment on sin. He would prefer that his people turn to him. But when the whole world and even the church seems to lose its mind, God reserves some who just keep praying. Be one of those. Be meek, humble, faithful and truthful. In God’s time, he will restore his people and rejoice over them with singing. Hold on to this hope. When our grip begins to slip, God’s hope holds on to us.
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Pray with me:
Father, thank you for reserving to yourself a group of people who trust in you enough to tell the truth. In our day, too, honesty is such a lonely word, and everyone is so untrue. Since we don’t know who else to trust, we trust in you. You have never failed us. You never will. Take delight in your people today Lord. Rejoice over us with singing. Give us the grace to hear your voice above all the other noise. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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| This year our Every Day with Jesus readings will follow The Bible Project Read Scripture Plan. Copies of this reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download
the app at readscripture.org. Read through the Bible with us in 2019!
Joyfully,
Duane
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