I am meditating this morning on the writings of the minor prophet Habakkuk. The theme of this small Old Testament book is one that occupies the thoughts of many opponents of Christianity in the world today. It is a problem for those who especially value justice in the world. The problem is expressed by Habakkuk in chapter 1:2 "O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you 'Violence!' and you will not save?"
The prophet is chiefly concerned with God's apparent unwillingness to act in a way that punishes the sins of Israel. From Habakkuk's perspective, God is allowing evil to triumph. God's silence is His compliance, in the eyes of the prophet.
Thankfully, God does not leave Habakkuk without an answer, although it an answer that neither he nor we might expect. In Habakkuk 2:2-3 "And the Lord answered me; 'Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end-it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay."
In Habakkuk chapter one, God reveals that He will use the Chaldeans, a pagan nation, to judge Israel of their continuing idolatry. But the point of God's response in chapter two, is that we should not expect what we want and desire to always happen according to our expectations or timing. God is in control.
So God uses circumstances to challenge us, or as Paul points out in Romans 5:3 "...suffering produces endurance." God gives Habakkuk some guidance and by extension all of us. If you are discouraged by God's seemingly indifference to our cries we should:
1. Write it down: Find passages in the Scripture that remind you of God's justice and power and write them down. Put them on a 3x5 card or copy them down in a journal, read them, meditate on them, and think about God's promises as they relate to your life and your circumstance.
2. Run with it: Put the Word of God into action in your life. It is one thing to read a Scripture, but what we read should also empower us to run. Refuse to allow the Bible to be just another book, but rather implement the principles of God's Word into your life on a daily basis. Do this even if it is in small steps of obedience. You will discover that the more you obey the greater capacity you will have for further obedience. As Jesus said in Mark 4:24 "Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you."
3. Wait for it: God will respond to you petition. It may not be the answer you expect, and His timing may be different than yours, but it will be perfect. God doesn't make mistakes. If He has promised something, He will bring it to pass.
If God never chooses to act again, understand that the action that He took on our behalf on the cross is enough! The life, death, and resurrection of Christ is enough to give us hope in a hopeless world. Christ is God's response to all of the questions of life, He is the answer to all of our collective cries for help. In Christ we have hope!
The prophet is chiefly concerned with God's apparent unwillingness to act in a way that punishes the sins of Israel. From Habakkuk's perspective, God is allowing evil to triumph. God's silence is His compliance, in the eyes of the prophet.
Thankfully, God does not leave Habakkuk without an answer, although it an answer that neither he nor we might expect. In Habakkuk 2:2-3 "And the Lord answered me; 'Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end-it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay."
In Habakkuk chapter one, God reveals that He will use the Chaldeans, a pagan nation, to judge Israel of their continuing idolatry. But the point of God's response in chapter two, is that we should not expect what we want and desire to always happen according to our expectations or timing. God is in control.
So God uses circumstances to challenge us, or as Paul points out in Romans 5:3 "...suffering produces endurance." God gives Habakkuk some guidance and by extension all of us. If you are discouraged by God's seemingly indifference to our cries we should:
1. Write it down: Find passages in the Scripture that remind you of God's justice and power and write them down. Put them on a 3x5 card or copy them down in a journal, read them, meditate on them, and think about God's promises as they relate to your life and your circumstance.
2. Run with it: Put the Word of God into action in your life. It is one thing to read a Scripture, but what we read should also empower us to run. Refuse to allow the Bible to be just another book, but rather implement the principles of God's Word into your life on a daily basis. Do this even if it is in small steps of obedience. You will discover that the more you obey the greater capacity you will have for further obedience. As Jesus said in Mark 4:24 "Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you."
3. Wait for it: God will respond to you petition. It may not be the answer you expect, and His timing may be different than yours, but it will be perfect. God doesn't make mistakes. If He has promised something, He will bring it to pass.
If God never chooses to act again, understand that the action that He took on our behalf on the cross is enough! The life, death, and resurrection of Christ is enough to give us hope in a hopeless world. Christ is God's response to all of the questions of life, He is the answer to all of our collective cries for help. In Christ we have hope!
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