It’s a new year. I am pretty sure we are now passed the copious posts of resolutions and “looking back,” and have moved on to the now. But the shiny, newness of this year’s now seems kind of lost. There is so much going on in the world, so many things to lament about. People everywhere seem to be incensed about something, and even here, in peaceful Canada, we are griping and worrying about the rising taxes and taxes on taxes that are making heating and hydro almost unaffordable. The Christian community is also suffering; there is finger-pointing between racial evangelical groups in the U.S. over the results of their election, there is widespread and worrying persecution of Christians in so many eastern countries. It seems that everywhere we look, there is a problem. And none of them are going away, they just seem to be changing hands. In this time of unrest and fear, is it any wonder that the age-old question is once again rising in popularity? “Where is God when things seem so bad? Why is He silent?” Which is why I am so glad that the book of Habakkuk was next on my reading list.
Living in a post-resurrection world means that we often look to the New Testament and the Gospels for our inspiration and comfort, but there is so much to be gleaned from the rich writings of the books that came before. Habakkuk seems to speak to these times just as resonantly as it did when it was written, proof of the repetitious nature of history.
Look at the nations and watch- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. (1:5)
Can I get an AMEN? Is this any less important for us to read now? Are we not living in a time where events are seemingly unbelievable even as they happen? While we may not be waiting for violent, invading hoards, we are witnessing the implosion of unified society. Babylon has ceased to exist, but there is still an enemy that has rallied to divide the Body to which all Christians belong. And looking south of the border, it seems that the enemy is doing a pretty bang up job. So here is reality; what is done is done, the decisions have been made and the coming years are the test of our mettle and stick-to-it-ness. God has allowed or caused everything that is going on in the world and we are not in a position to stop or change the events from unfolding. We are always able to help and serve and care for those who are hurting around us, but pointing fingers and laying blame will only inflame the wound. Just as in Israel of old, we are reaping the consequences of decades and centuries of bad decisions, be they ours or the leaders of the nations’. We are now in a holding pattern, as we have been since the beginning of time. What Habakkuk came to realise, and what we need to understand fully, is that God’s will will unfold as He has planned. We are called to hope, to have faith; to serve and lead and live as sojourners. We need to be mindful and purposeful in where we invest our time and energy and resources. Mostly, we need to trust. Even as Israel waited for the arrival of the Babylonians, they were reminded to wait and trust in God’s timing, in his plan.
For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. (2:3)
Is this not exactly what we need to hear? To be reminded that the Revelations we read have an appointed time, a time that lingers and hovers at the horizon, but one that God will be faithful to bring. The time for the end of the age is set, circled in red in God’s calendar. There is not going to be a hastening of it, nor will there be a delay. It is coming at the exact moment it is supposed to. Do you trust that? Do you believe that? Are you living for that day? That is what we are supposed to be doing. The more we get caught up in investing in the problems of this world that we cannot solve, the more ground the enemy gains.We are running to the finish line, and those who stay focussed on the race are the ones who finish in splendor and glory. Don’t we all want splendor and glory?
Has not the Lord Almighty determined that the people’s labour is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing? For the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (2:13&14)
Why are we griping and groaning instead of trusting and helping? We know how it all ends, we have the Word that reveals the victor. Why worry about this, now? Habakkuk was so refreshing to me, such a welcome book in the face of the onslaught of bad news splashed across the world. God is still sovereign, God is still good, God is still above and through and in it all. Yes, bad stuff is scary. Yes, we might tremble in fear. But letting fear win is handing placing our trust in the wrong thing. Being inconsolably anger with the outcome of an election is the opposite of having faith in God’s plan. We are sojourners. We are aliens in a foreign land. We are runners in a race that will bring us home. THIS IS NOT OUR HOME! The mess ends when we leave this place. Let’s keep that in mind as we walk the narrow road to the narrow gate. Let’s remember that when we want to rail against our fellow Christians.
You want to know how Habakkuk ends? With a song of praise.
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feel like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go in the heights. (3:17-19)
There is no better ending than that for a people facing unknown trials and suffering. God is sovereign.
faith from the stove 