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Habakkuk Complains Again
12Holy Lord God, mighty rock,
you are eternal,
and we are safe from death.
You are using those Babylonians
to judge and punish others.
13But you can't stand sin or wrong.
So don't sit by in silence
while they gobble up people
who are better than they are.
14The people you put on this earth
are like fish or reptiles
without a leader.
15Then an enemy comes along
and takes them captive
with hooks and nets.
It makes him so happy
16that he offers sacrifices
to his fishing nets,
because they make him rich
and provide choice foods.
17Will he keep hauling in his nets
and destroying nations
without showing mercy?
The Lord Answers
1While standing guard
on the watchtower,
I waited for the Lord's answer,
before explaining the reason
for my complaint.
Reflect
“Stop the ride. I want to get off.” Our daughter’s petrified cry shocked our family as the ferris wheel lurched on its 360 degree journey. The ride, which had appeared so enticing, was now generating nausea and fear.
Have you ever wanted God to “stop the world” so you could get off? Habakkuk, one of God’s leaders, struggled to reconcile the holiness and justice of God with the visible injustice of what was happening in front of his eyes. The Babylonians, a wicked world power, were moving in on God’s people, his ‘holy nation’ his ‘peculiar people. (Ex. 19:4,5)
To the untrained heart, evil appears to be on a reckless rampage today. Godly men, women and children are paying with their lives for remaining true to him. Our news feeds through Twitter, Facebook and news media are inundated with injustice accounts.
Why doesn’t God do anything? How far will he allow a nation or nations to follow their own desires? To what degree will he give them over to their desires of their hearts? What can help us make sense of our world? Why does God make us watch all this happen?
We are compelled to pray. We are constrained to dig into the mines of Scripture and extract the deeply buried nuggets which offer to stabilize our faith. We cannot simply ignore the perplexity rising up within us, or being pressed into our paths by young believers or those who profess no faith. In a remarkable way we are to “be ready always to give an answer for the hope that we have.” God allows us to turn to other “fearful riders” and invite them to join us in seeking his help.
Respond
Father, thank you that in our perplexity we may turn to you. Teach us to trust you as we watch life unfold around us. May we shine out as lights in a dark world. Amen.
Keith Edwards
Keith was born and grew up in Thornloe, Ontario. He committed his life to Jesus Christ as a child. After sensing God’s calling, he attended Bible school where he met his wife Ruth. They served in pastoral ministry in various churches. He served as Registrar of Toronto Baptist Seminary and since June 2015 as Director of Church Initiatives & Internships at Heritage College/Seminary in Cambridge. Keith and Ruth live in Oshawa, ON and have two married daughters Carolyn (Alex) and Jane (Andrew) and three delightful grandchildren.