“The oracle [of] Habakkuk the prophet.
‘O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
and you will not save?
Why do you make me see iniquity,
and why do you idly look at wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
So the law is paralyzed,
and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
so justice goes forth perverted.‘
The Lord’s Answer
‘Look among the nations, and see;
wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
that you would not believe if told…’
Habakkuk’s Second Complaint
‘You who are of purer eyes than to see evil…
why do you idly look at traitors
and remain silent when the wicked swallows up
the man more righteous than he?..
‘I will take my stand at my watchpost
and station myself on the tower,
and look out to see what he will say to me…’
And the Lord answered me:
‘Still the vision awaits its appointed time…
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay…’
‘Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;..
he makes me tread on my high places.” Habakkuk 1:1-5,13; 2:1-3,20; 3:2-3,17-19
For Habakkuk, the cruel violence from Assyria against His people seemed inconsistent with the merciful, righteous God he knew. How could the Lord use such wicked nations to punish? It took climbing the ramparts above present turmoil to remind him of God’s promises of full justice and future restoration to repair his perspective. The Lord’s eternal words and ways were a balm to his troubled soul.
When we’re anxious over people or problems, we’re not actively trusting the God’s word. Worry is the antithesis of faith. We close-focus with fretting over children, health, or finances, and fail to look the distance and see with eternal perspective. God loves our children and has plans for them. He intricately knows our bodies and numbers our days. He has promised never to leave or forsake His own; rather, He’s constantly working all things for good for them and their sanctification. (Deuteronomy 31:6; Psalm 50:10; 139:13-16; Isaiah 43:5; Matthew 6:33; Romans 8:28-30; Philippians 4:19)
The next time we’re unsettled by news, or threatened by opposition, hurt, or difficulty, how will we react? Can we learn to respond by looking for Jesus and delving into His word for promises to hold, to claim? Will we take on His lenses that allow us to see the ruin of relationships, deteriorating physical or mental fitness, famine of passion or morality, through hope in His ultimate triumph? How different would be our everyday outlook! And how uplifting and bright our presence in dark places where people know Him not!
What changes do we need to make to eliminate worry and fear and complaining and replace them with substantial hope, confidence, and praise?
Good, eternal Father, help me see all travail through the light of Your promises, and in an attitude of hope and praise.
As the rain and snow 