Good morning,
How long, O Lord?
One of the wonderful benefits of being in God’s family is that we have a Heavenly Father who loves the world that he has created and has given us guidelines for living our lives here that are based on our faith in his perfect plans. We also have the choice of trusting ourselves or God’s Enemy if we decide not to trust Him. God has told us what he is planning for us if we obey Him and what we can expect if we don’t love him and rebel against him. He has given us the Bible with his promises and his punishments a piece at a time. God has chosen some men as prophets to speak for him. One of theses men was a Jewish man, Habakkuk. He loved God, but he didn’t understand why God was planning to force the Jewish people out of their country. He prayed to God. How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight.(Hab.1:2,3) The Jewish people of his day had decided to turn their backs on their God and follow their own stubborn ways. The people of his day were living life upside down. The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts.The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted.(v.4) Then he challenged God by saying, Will you let them get away with this forever? Will they succeed forever in their heartless conquests?(v.17)
Does any of this sound familiar to you? The fact is that this cycle of love and obedience and self centered rebellion has occurred over and over again right from the beginning of time. The finished Bible we have now tells us a great deal about what God has planned for his world and his people as well as what will happen to those who rebel against his love and guidelines for living a godly life. When Jesus came as a man to live like us and to defeat the destructive plans of the devil, both those who trusted him and those who hated him wanted clear proof of what God was planning for the future. At one point in his ministry Jesus prayed, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!(Mat.11:25,26) Then Jesus turned to the people there and said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.(vs.28,29) What God does is on his own time line. He does things his way and teaches us what it means to wait and love and trust his plan, not ours. God is long suffering and kind even to the worst of sinners. When the time is right, He will carry out all of his plans. To go back to Habakkuk, the prophet spent time listening to God and then made a wonderful decision. He said, Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength!(Hab.3:17-19) May the Lord show us in our day what he showed Habakkuk and countless others in their day to wait and trust in our Sovereign Lord’s strength.
Habakkuk 3:18yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
Roy Wisner
