Yet… (Habakkuk 3:19)

 


Friday, September 20, 2024


Psalm 48

Habakkuk 3:8-19

Ephesians 3:14-21


Observance: John Coleridge Patteson, first bishop of Melanesia, martyr (d. 1871)


Yet… (Habakkuk 3:19)


When Christians are behaving all Christianly, there are a range of different reactions people have. The reaction we hope for is that people see us walking around all forgiven-like and want to know why, and give us the chance to speak to them about Jesus. Another reaction is not so good, but still happens more often than we would like, which is that it increases the size of the chip on people’s shoulders. We can also have on grow on our own shoulders if we are not prayerfully prepared for adversity. And this prayer of Habakkuk is excellent prayerful preparation.


If anyone had anything to complain about, it would be the prophet Habakkuk. After all his efforts to warn, plead and prophecy to the people, their hearts remained hardened, and God released the Babylonians. He knew better than most what horror was to come, and his heart was pounding, his lips quivering, his bones decaying, and legs trembling. Yet…


What a marvellous word, “yet”. It is the word of faith. We look out with the eyes of flesh and see all sorts of miserable tragedy, and it breaks our heart. Yet, we also have eyes of faith, and can see that God is working all things for good for those who love him. (Romans 8:28)


Our strength may fail, yet the Sovereign Lord is our strength. We may fall to the depths, yet the Sovereign Lord makes our feet like the deer, able to go up to the heights. The crops may fail and the fields produce no food, all our wealth fade with no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet we will rejoice in the Lord. We will be joyful in God our Saviour.


We need not sweat the effort of working ourselves into this joy and strength: it is given to all those who ask God for it. Others have prayed for us; we should pray for ourselves, too. Even St Paul has prayed for us, that we may be rooted and established in love, and may have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. (Ephesians 3:17-18) Everything may fade away. Yet: we will rejoice in the Lord. We will be joyful in God our Saviour.


Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly: you have brought us to the valley of vision, where we live in the depths but see you in the heights. Let us learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit. Establish us in your love, so that we may yet rejoice in you.

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