I know your reputation, Lord,
and I am amazed
at what you have done.
Please turn from your anger
and be merciful;
do for us what you did
for our ancestors.
You are the same Holy God
who came from Teman
and Paran to help us.
The brightness of your glory
covered the heavens,
and your praises were heard
everywhere on earth.
Your glory shone like the sun,
and light flashed from your hands,
hiding your mighty power.
Dreadful diseases and plagues
marched in front
and followed behind.
When you stopped,
the earth shook;
when you stared,
nations trembled;
when you walked
along your ancient paths,
eternal mountains and hills
crumbled and collapsed.
The tents of desert tribes
in Cushan and Midian
were ripped apart.
Our Lord, were you angry
with the monsters
of the deep?
You attacked in your chariot
and wiped them out.
Your arrows were ready
and obeyed your commands.
You split the earth apart
with rivers and streams;
mountains trembled
at the sight of you;
rain poured from the clouds;
ocean waves roared and rose.
The sun and moon stood still,
while your arrows and spears
flashed like lightning.
In your furious anger,
you trampled on nations
to rescue your people
and save your chosen one.
You crushed a nation’s ruler
and stripped his evil kingdom
of its power.
His troops had come like a storm,
hoping to scatter us
and glad to gobble us down.
To them we were refugees
in hiding—
but you smashed their heads
with their own weapons.
Then your chariots churned
the waters of the sea. (Contemporary English Version)
“Willfulness must give way to willingness and surrender. Mastery must yield to mystery.”
Gerald G. May
Tucked away in the Old Testament is the little prophecy of Habakkuk. Yet it packs a punch of a message.
The prophet was distressed over the corruption of his people, Israel. So, he complained to God about it. God responded by informing Habakkuk that judgment was coming to sinful Israel through the pagan Babylonians.
This was not what Habakkuk expected. The prophet grumbled even more about the fact that the Babylonians were much more evil than the Israelites. The Babylonians needed judgment, too! (Habakkuk 1:2-17)
Today’s Old Testament lesson is Habakkuk’s struggle to come to terms with what God was doing. He remembered the Lord’s mighty deeds and miraculous actions from the past. God brought justice to Israel and judged the powerful Egyptians.
It seems that Habakkuk wanted God to make right the corruption of Israel, but not to do it in the same way that pagan nations are handled.
“The most difficult thing I have ever had to do is follow the guidance I prayed for.”
Albert Schweitzer
We all must come to grips with the cost of justice, of truly making things right and turning corruption and oppression around. Sometimes, maybe most times, implementing justice will impact everyone in an adverse way. For there is no realistic scenario in which someone gets to call for justice, then doesn’t have to live with the consequences – even if that someone isn’t culpable for the unjust actions.
You see, we are all inextricably connected to one another. We are of the same human family. We truly are our brother’s and sister’s keeper. We don’t get to shout or throw rocks from a distance and have everything magically change with no cost to us, personally.
It took the prophet Habakkuk awhile, but he finally resolved to live without having any closure. Instead, he took the stance of faith that he had always taken. Because when all is said and done, whether we like a particular outcome, or not, we must all live by faith, trusting in the sovereign God who always does what is right.
And here is the conclusion the prophet settled upon:
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights. (Habakkuk 3:17-19, NIV)
Even though the circumstances were bad, and got worse, even dire, yet the prophet chose to rejoice in the Lord. He took the path of radical trust through suffering and hardship.
One of the most significant faith experiences we can ever have is to come to the point of complete trust in God so that our happiness is not dependent upon good circumstances.
The truth is that the believer’s joy and spiritual security is independent of what is going on around them. Even though situations might be difficult, even evil, the faithful can still rejoice because they do not need everything to go their way in order to experience happiness.
Joy is neither cheap, nor easy. Total trust in God can only really come through a serious and open engagement, even argument, with God. And the place of contentment comes from a consistent, persevering, and constant interaction with God – just like Habakkuk did.
O Lord, we are at the limits of our power to effect any sort of change, help, or service. For what we have left undone, forgive us. For what you have helped us to do, we thank you. For what must be done by others, lend your strength. Now shelter us in your peace which passes our understanding. Amen.
Rev. Tim Ehrhardt 