My Brother From Another Mother: Habakkuk

Tonight I am frustrated. Not in a way that will last for more than an hour, because, lets face it, I can't stay any negative emotion for too long, but just in a way that is normal for normal people, which I am...normal that is. At any rate, I have a lot of good things going in my life right now but sometimes things come along with just make those things fall to the back and the dumb things come forward. Probably a tactic of Satan, he is a tricky one. So tonight I plopped onto my little mattress on the floor and I opened my Bible.

Let's be clear here: this is not always what I do when I get frustrated. Just because I opened my bible in this instance does not mean I do it all the time (see my normalcy emerging?). But I wish I did, because the Bible is how the Holy Spirit can speak into our lives in moments like this. The Bible is the water that quenches our thirst and the food that sustains are soul. Without it I get a lot more frustrated, so tonight when I was pouting and I heard "open your bible" I decided I should probably listen to that voice instead of telling it that the Bachelorette finale was on tonight and I should probably check who won. In this instance Holy Spirit won and I opened up to Habakkuk.

I love verse 5 in chapter 1 where the Lord says "Look at the nations and watch- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." I recently remembered this verse and decided to cling to it, because it is what I believe the Lord is saying to the reservation. But never had I ever read the rest of the book, so you can imagine my surprise when I start at verse one and read my thoughts written down on the page. Uhhh, really? The book starts with Habakkuk's complaint. Unfortunately, I can relate to that one. Habakkuk is upset because he feels like God isn't listening. He feels like God is not responding to injustice and that God is allowing all this wrong to happen. Habbakuk sees strife and conflict and a lack of justice, but doesn't see God moving.

Uhh, hello? Sound like a post I wrote a couple of days ago? I can tell you it sounds a LOT like the thoughts in my head two weeks ago!

So then God answers Habakkuk but Habakkuk just keeps on complaining. I hate to admit it but God answered me loud and clear when I was upset with Him and I just sassed Him right back! (But thanks Habakkuk, glad to know I'm not the only one). So the Lord answers him again. Now, I might be in seminary but I don't totally understand the context of this book. What I do understand though is what God is telling me through it. Listen to the end, to Habakkuk's prayer. He is talking about the day of calamity and the lack of good things but he writes:

"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 go on the heights."


Hmm. So I started writing this post feeling frustrated, but with the help of the Holy Spirit that didn't even last an hour. Because no matter what comes my way, no matter what pain I see or hear of, no matter what complications or frustrations arise in my own life, I know that the Lord will be my strength. I know that I have seen His works and I will "stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord." Maybe Habakkuk was talking about something different, but I know how his words spoke to me today and boy am I grateful for them.

So good bye silly frustrations and stupid Satan. I have the Sovereign Lord as my strength and I will work hard for Him knowing that he is going to do a great work in this place, something I would not believe even if I were told. I like the sound of that. Looks like I am ending the night on a high note.


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