Zephaniah 3 -- The Company Of The Concerned

The author of my commentary, Warren Wiersbe, saw in this chapter the great care of God over His believing remnant – those who had kept the faith despite the times they were living in.  And he relates this remnant to our current times, for the Minor Prophets are relevant for us, not just for the Jewish people.  He wrote about the company of the concerned – “a small group of people whose devotion to the Lord can make a difference in the nation … people who are truly concerned about the will of the Lord and the character of their country … people who are distressed by evil and want to do something about it … people motivated not by anger, but by anguish … as they behold the moral and spiritual decline of the nation … people who are separated from sin, but who are not isolated from the real world … they have the courage to be different and to walk the narrow road no matter what it may cost them.  They are people who pray consistently for those in authority … people who have a proper fear of God in their hearts … who will obey 2 Chronicles 7:14 and intercede for their country … who flock together and not try to do everything alone … To be sure, every local church has its weaknesses and faults, but it’s the family of God, and that’s where we belong.  Nobody was born into a perfect family … The company of the concerned realize the importance of righteousness and justice in the land … they seek to be salt and light … Remember what Edward Hale wrote:  ‘I am only one, but still I am one.  I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.  And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.’ And, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me … for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.’  It’s time to be concerned.”

Father, lift us up in Your strength to separate us from sin, to intercede with You for our country, and to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the world.  Help us to be doers of the Word and hearers only.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford