“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4
We are constantly slammed with news that shows evil, destruction, and a depraved world that is so utterly unable to govern itself with goodness that we can be left crying out to God, “Why are you letting this happen?” Ever been there? There right now?
Habakkuk was an Old Testament prophet who was surrounded by the complete decay of his nation that he too was left wondering if God was going to step in and right the wrongs of society around him. That is how the opening line of his conversation with God goes, “O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?” (Hab. 1:2).
God gives Habakkuk an answer: “For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told” (v. 5). My heart has a hard time being satisfied with that answer. I can learn repentance from Habakkuk’s posture. He later responds to God by saying he will wait on God and trust him in faith.
I believe that God wants us to face the despair and evil of this world by trusting in him more than we are able to trust ourselves. We have two options: either face life depending on God in faith, or face life in unbelief depending on our ability to rationalize our own way.
If you are anything like me, you might be tempted to charge head first into a situation and try to fix or control things. I may not know God’s plan for the situation, but I certainly know mine. Can you guess how that usually goes for me? Not well. I can learn from the prophet Habakkuk here.
God has fulfilled his promise that he has good for me by sending his Son, Jesus Christ. I trust that the Sovereign Lord has a better perspective view on this life than I do with my own limited, mortal view. I am ever thankful that God is in control and that I am not. Lord, help me to trust in you in faith each and every day.
Adam Christiansen is the Community Groups pastor at the Ballard church.
