Readings for today: Habakkuk 1-3
I have seen starvation firsthand. I have seen the devastating effects of drought and famine. I have seen disease and plague. I have seen the aftermath of war. I have sat with those who are suffering. I have counseled victims of violence. I have ministered to those struggling with mental illness. I have visited those in prison. And I have prayed the prayer of Habakkuk many, many times. “How long, Lord, must I call for help and you do not listen or cry out to you about violence and you do not save? Why do you force me to look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates. This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted.” (Habakkuk 1:2-4 CSB) Last spring, I was in northern Ethiopia and our team was training and equipping women to launch businesses when gunfire broke out sevearl kilometers outside the city we were staying in. Rebel forces engaged the national military. It was a sober reminder of what the indigenous people in that particular area have to live with on a daily basis. This fall, I will be heading to South Sudan. A failed state. I will go to a region where there is often violence and injustice and oppression as those who have power steal and rob and kill those who do not. How long must I call for help? How long must I cry out for salvation? The wicked restrict the righteous and justice comes out perverted. And that is why there is no peace. Not in our world. Not in our time. Humanity is too corrupt. Humanity lives in a constant state of rebellion against her Creator.
My only response is to wait. Wait on the Lord. He alone is strong enough to save. He alone has the power to redeem. Like Habakkuk, my role is to take my place on the watchtower. “I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the lookout tower. I will watch to see what he will say to me and what I should reply about my complaint.” (Habakkuk 2:1 CSB) I watch and wait with eager anticipation for the coming of the Lord. I look for the chariots and horses of the Lord as they ring the hills all around. I am confident the Lord sees all and knows all and He loves the world and humanity too much to let us go. He will act according to His perfect time. He will move according to His perfect will. He is even now in His Temple, seated on His throne. “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let the whole earth be silent in his presence.” (Habakkuk 2:20 CSB) I do not need to be afraid. I do not need to be anxious. The future is in His hands. The wicked will be judged. Evil will be overthrown. Every wrong will be made right. Justice will roll down like an ever-flowing stream. Righteousness will flow from never-ending spring. This is His promise and it is sure. It is good. And I trust Him.
Readings for tomorrow: Joel 1-3