"Behold, it is not of the Lord of hosts that the peoples labor to feed the fire, and nations weary themselves in vain." ~ Habakkuk 2:13
With everything going on and our current state of affairs, it isn't odd that Habakkuk has come to mind often lately. I never turn away these prompting. I use them to revisit our past studies and retrace the experiences of those long ago. God, always has new insight for us; if we are willing to give Him the opportunity.
To start with, lets consider what Habakkuk was dealing with and find some common ground: We all, at times, encounter situations where the burdens upon our life stem from the stubbornness, or rebellion, of others. A natural response during these experiences can be to carry on a dialogue within our self, attempting to find a sane refuge from the insanity outside us.
Due to many conversations with myself and others I have a few examples below:
- How long can this go on?
- How long can I put up with this?
- Why doesn't God intervene in this situation?
- How does God expect me to relate toward the this person; knowing the person was well aware of the consequences to everyone?
- Does God consider it selfishness to not have anything to do with those who continue to be selfish?
- Would God desire me to suffer silently, in order for Him to work in and through me to reach them?
- Is God going to help me in my pain and deal with the things they've stolen from my life?
“How long, Oh Lord, shall I cry, and you will not hear? Even cry out to You,‘Violence!’ And you will not save.” ~ Habakkuk 1:2
There are so many raw emotions in the words of Habakkuk. Read it again, and picture a man, trying, exhausted, desiring to see God and feel His salvation from the pain of living among all that he was dealing with. From scripture we know he was speaking of imbalance, injustice and the oppression taking place; and he pointedly questioned God as to why He causes him to experience it. Although he questioned God he did so reverently; he never questioned the Sovereignty of God. I do not know if Habakkuk was confidently bold, or broken, and at the end of his rope. However, the last nugget of insight he gave us was this: he was sure he would need to consider, after God spoke, what he would say when corrected.
Have you ever been confident that you could handle something, only to find that it went on way longer than you could have fathomed? Has the torment and confusion of others ever caused you to take solace, in your own conversation and companionship, in hopes of finding clarity? Have you ever, in exhaustion, simply cried out to "God knows who" just to vent? If so, I can honestly tell you you are not alone. However, sometimes it is better to be alone with those things / thought than a group of people, in confusion, considering their own thoughts, and rehashing the debris of life. More often than not, those people find comfort in the commonality of their pain and forget, for a brief moment, the misery coming down on and around them.
Habakkuk could have become discouraged and found solace in social circles; he could have found something to comfort him in his time of desperation. However, when he demonstrated that he only wanted God and would not turn away, God spoke:
Look among the nations and watch - Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you!~ Habakkuk 1: 5
Did you notice how we become more utterly astounded by the hurtful / harmful situations cause by people; we are taken aback; we just cant believe it - And we loose sight of God. Doubtfully, we would have believed it if we had been told beforehand. As the bible says God uses foolishness to confound the wise (my usage is tongue and cheek). God uses our crazy desperate thoughts and conversations to calm, stabilize and encourage us; as well as boldly declare He is Lord and listening! Remember, He is God and does not operate as we think best. He is too loving to allow us to misunderstand what is going on and get in harms way. As in Habakkuk's life, God took time to explain the work He was doing. He was in the process of raising up a bitter and hasty nation to take possession of places that were not their own. He even warned him that they were terrible, even dreadful; their judgment and dignity emanated from themselves. If that wasn't enough, God stated they would be coming for violence and claiming all power, honor and glory for their god.
While all this sound disastrous and unfathomable, in His Sovereignty, He explained that something, was indeed, going to Give. We will stop here for today and I ask for you to consider, when you are in a time of distress, to consider Habakkuk: how he carried his grief to a place of true refuge. He climbed the tower and waited for a reply from his faithful God.
Please note: It is wise to find Godly counsel when you are in a desperate place, but if fear has not yet grabbed hold of you, climb away to a safe space and find solace in the One who is faithful and with you even now. He listens, He speaks and is faithful to save us, if we believe and trust Him.
I pray peace, comfort, joy and the ability to hear His wisdom, over you all.
Kisses,
C
© 2016 by Candace Huffmaster / Kaleidoscope Butterfly, Inc ®
