Something You Wouldn’t Believe (Habakkuk 1:5)

 


Monday, September 16, 2024


Psalm 38

Habakkuk 1:1-11

Ephesians 1:1-14


Observance: Ninian of Galloway, bishop and missionary (d. c. 432)


Something You Wouldn’t Believe (Habakkuk 1:5)


Here in the little book by Habakkuk we have a wonderful interaction between the prophet and the Lord. Poor old Habakkuk is crying out a prayer that I am sure all of us have prayed at least once in our lives: why, O God, have you let things get so bad?


It isn’t an exaggeration to say that yes, things have gotten pretty bad. Habakkuk’s list of complaints are nicely universal, and we can make the same complaints today: “Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralysed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.” This is a fair complaint to make to God in prayer. God is perfectly good, yet for some reason he is allowing evil to exist in his good creation.


God isn’t silent, however, and has a perfectly good reply to the complaints of both us and Habakkuk. Just you watch, you ain’t seen nothing yet, speaks the voice from the throne. In fact, it is so completely outside of our frame of reference, God explicitly says we wouldn’t believe it even if we were told.


And God was right. We wouldn’t believe it even if we were told. In this immediate context, God answers Habakkuk with the warning of the approaching Babylonian army, which is a pretty wild way for God to deal with things, from our perspective.


But even more out of left field is God’s ultimate solution to the problems of the world. He would come into this material existence as a man, live a perfect life, die on a cross, and rise on the third day. Then he would ascend back into heaven with this resurrected humanity, drawing his chosen people with him. I wouldn’t believe something like that even if you told me; yet it is true, and it is more wonderful than anything you or I could have come up with.


When we pick up our sword and our trowel, we need to be ready for how God will make things right. He will be making things right with and through us, using us and our tools to do so. Are you ready for God to come up with ways to save the world that you never could have thought of yourself?


Lord, you hear our calls for help, and you answer us in an utterly amazing way. Prepare me for the wonderful things you have planned for your people and your world.

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