My unexpected reward

I have been “guest preaching” for my church for a couple of years now.  Usually four or five times a year, just enough to give our pastor an occasional break.  However, this summer I did something new – I wrote and delivered an entire message series.

The three-week series was titled, “Don’t be a Cretan”.  Each week, we walked through Paul’s letter to his protégé, Titus, and the directions he gave for the churches on the island of Crete.  Cretan society was more than a little rough, so Titus had his hands full as he taught these new believers what it means to follow Jesus in a difficult culture.  If you are interested in hearing these messages, you can find them on YouTube: Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3.

Handling an entire series was a new experience for me, and I now have even more empathy for pastors who shepherd a church while also holding down a full-time job to pay the bills.  As I concluded the series, I was very happy to not have to be planning out, writing, and getting ready to deliver the next sermon series.  Preaching is both a blessing and a burden, and I was ready for a break.

I received several heartfelt “thank yous” and had many great conversations based on the messages I delivered.  However, I was not expecting the shout-out our pastor gave me this past week at the beginning of his message.  He publicly said “Thank you” from the stage and led the church in a round of applause.  That in itself was more than I would have expected, but he continued – telling our church how me teaching the series gave him the largest speaking break he’s had in 6 years and how he was freed up to be fully present for some significant moments within both his family and God’s family.

He didn’t have to do that.  He had already expressed his gratitude to me privately several times, so I knew where his heart was.  However, he still wanted to publicly reward my efforts. 

I think a lot of Christians live their lives that way, too.  We know the tasks God has given us to do, and we know His heart towards us when we make the wise choice or do the thing He has asked us to do.  What we don’t expect is that God plans to publicly reward us for our efforts.

Does that sound odd to you?  Then let me remind you of something Jesus said during His Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 6:19-21
Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

If we are told to store up…treasures in heaven, then that must mean (logically) that there are actual treasures in heaven.  Jesus’ words make it clear that being in heaven isn’t “the treasure” we’re to be aiming for.  Getting into heaven is guaranteed when we believe in Jesus for eternal life.  These treasures in heaven must be something more…and if they can be stored up or not, then we all will have different amounts.

The topic of “Eternal rewards” is not talked about much in our modern-day churches.  But Jesus talked about them quite a bit and so did the other New Testament writers. 

You might have heard someone say, “I don’t need any rewards.  I’ll just be happy to be in heaven”.  While a statement like that sounds quite humble and spiritual…it’s actually pretty arrogant and selfish to think that way.  Jesus wasn’t giving a suggestion or an optional side-quest in His Sermon on the Mount.  He told us to store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.  That’s a pretty clear direction.

Imagine getting to heaven, standing before Jesus, and realizing that all your treasures were stored on earth.  I don’t think the “I’m just happy to be here” defense is going to feel all that comforting.

So what are the treasures in heaven and how do we store them up?  We’ll take a look at those in the coming weeks.  But for now, stop and ask Jesus to reveal where your heart is at, what do you find valuable?  It’s just like He said: for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Is your heart focused on earthly things or heavenly things?  Being honest with that question is the best place to start.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

You can’t get this from AI

Jacob was in trouble, and he knew it.

After decades of being away, God told him to take his family back to his homeland.  The problem with doing so was that he would have to face up to his brother.  When they were younger, Jacob had cheated Esau out of his family’s inheritance and his father’s blessing.  Then Jacob left because he discovered Esau’s plan to kill him as soon as their father died.

Now Jacob and his family are heading home, just like God told him to.  They are one day away from their destination and have gotten word that Esau is headed their way – and he’s bringing 400 men with him.

Jacob is so scared that he split his family into two camps and sent them all ahead, so they could offer gifts and livestock, in an attempt to soften Esau’s disposition.  Completely alone, he stayed back for the night – and ended up in a fight for his life:

Genesis 32:24-28, 31
Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.  When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob’s hip socket as they wrestled and dislocated his hip.  Then he said to Jacob, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
“What is your name?” the man asked.
“Jacob,” he replied
“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said.  “It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”

…The sun shone on him as he passed by Penuel – limping because of his hip.

Jacob spent the entire night wrestling with God.  Straining, attacking, defending, pouring out all his energy into his struggle…and because of that night, he was forever changed.

It cost him something – Jacob’s hip bothered him the rest of his life.  But he gained something greater – a new identity.  God blessed Jacob with a new name, and this name would be a distinctive identifier for him and all who would follow in his family line. 

It was recently brought to my attention that Jacob could have received this unique blessing only one way – through struggle.  Jacob was no stranger to struggle in his life; some of it was due to his own choices, some of it was brought on by others.  Instead of being consumed by the challenges in his life, Jacob found favor and blessing with God because he chose to struggle through them.

But most of us (myself included) don’t like to struggle.  We like it when victories come easy.  We take shortcuts all the time to avoid struggle.  Don’t feel like making dinner?  Doordash it.  Don’t want to do laundry?  Go to Target and buy a shirt (I did this once).  Have a question about God or the Bible?  Ask AI for the answer.

I have nothing against services, stores, and tools…but if we outsource everything, including our God-sized questions, then our avoidance of struggle keeps us from obtaining the rewards that only come through effort.

Don’t miss this from Jacob’s story – God honored Jacob for struggling with Him.  Maybe we’re afraid of what the struggle might cost us.  But that kind of thinking underestimates the amount of blessing God can give.  Do you believe God is bigger than your struggles?  Do you believe His goodness and blessings are better than what you might give up?

It wasn’t just a name change for Jacob.  He received a new identity – one that impacted him, his family, and all of history. 

Don’t think that is possible for you?  Then struggle with God and find out.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

How to develop a defiant faith

In this series, we’ve walked with a prophet that is little-known to most of us modern-day Christians.  Habakkuk lived in the last days of the southern kingdom of Judah, just before the Babylonians invaded and destroyed Jerusalem.  However, where the writings of most other Old Testament prophets were about God’s message to the people, what is unique about the book of Habakkuk is that the prophet recorded his conversation with God on behalf of the people.

Initially, Habakkuk wanted to know why God was letting the people of Judah get away with ignoring God and mistreating each other.  But after God revealed His plan – to allow the Chaldeans (aka the Babylonians) to punish Judah before God destroys the Chaldeans – we got to struggle with Habakkuk as he tries to wrap his head around God’s Plan for history.  Once he understands how much higher God’s Plans are than ours, Habakkuk takes comfort in who God is, knowing that He is both good and trustworthy.  God would still rescue His people, even if the correction they receive comes at the hands of a people group they view as more wicked than themselves.

However, the prophet’s writings ends with Habakkuk realizing what is about to happen – the Chaldeans will be coming soon:

Habakkuk 3:16
I heard, and I trembled within;
my lips quivered at the sound.
Rottenness entered my bones;
I trembled where I stood.

Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress
to come against the people invading us.

Although Habakkuk knew relief would eventually come for his people, he also knew that relief would come later…in the meantime, his country must endure the punishment of the Chaldeans first.

He knew how ruthless the Chaldeans would be.  Habakkuk had rightfully described them as treacherous, wicked, and without mercy.  He trembled at what he knew they were about to endure.

But Habakkuk also knew he wasn’t entirely helpless.  Despite his world completely falling apart around him, he still could choose his outlook and attitude:

Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there is no fruit on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though the flocks disappear from the pen
and there are no herds in the stalls,
yet I will celebrate in the Lord;
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!

The Lord my Lord is my strength;
He makes my feet like those of a deer
and enables me to walk on mountain heights!

Do you hear the defiance in his voice?  His faith in God is defying the brokenness and depressing circumstances that are in front of him.  His hope is set on something bigger than what appears around him.

When absolutely nothing is going right, Habakkuk says yet I will celebrate in the Lord and the Lord is my strength.

To help us understand Habakkuk’s choice of defiant faith, let’s take his farming-gone-wrong examples and put them into our modern context:

·       When I’ve been let go from my job and there are no prospects in my field while my bank account is draining, yet I will celebrate in the Lord.
·       When the doctors say my spouse is out of treatment options, yet the Lord is my strength.
·       When the people I counted on for support have betrayed me, yet I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
·       When my child abandons everything I tried to teach them, and they choose a destructive path, yet the Lord is my strength.

Despite any and all circumstances…yet I will trust in God.

Habakkuk chose to be defiantly faithful in the face of awful circumstances.  When we do the same, we will see God in a new way…while learning to trust Him and His Plan.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

We claim we want to know, but…

In this series, we’re walking with a prophet that is little-known to most of us modern-day Christians.  Habakkuk lived in the last days of the southern kingdom of Judah, just before the Babylonians invaded and destroyed Jerusalem.  However, where the writings of most other Old Testament prophets were about God’s message to the people, what we find unique about the book of Habakkuk is that the prophet records his conversation with God on behalf of the people.

Initially, we heard Habakkuk confront God about the selfish, even down-right evil, actions his fellow countrymen were committing.  He was struggling to understand why God hadn’t stepped in to address the troubles in Judah.  Then, we read God’s response – He is planning on punishing/correcting Judah by allowing the Chaldeans (aka the Babylonians) to invade Judah.  Next, we looked at how Habakkuk dealt with his frustration and shock over God’s plan.  And after that, we learned how those who were living according to God’s design would survive the Chaldean invasion.  Last time, we saw the Woes proclaimed on the Chaldeans because of their evil choices.

By now, Habakkuk is feeling a bit overwhelmed.  He started the conversation with God, asking what he believed to be very legitimate questions.  These were issues that were major troubles of his day.  Everywhere he looked, the Jewish people were committing violence against one another, there was rampant injustice, and wicked people were overrunning his country with no end in sight…but Habakkuk was focused on the moment of life he was living in, he did not consider that God’s perspective and plan was operating on a global-sized, historical scale. 

God’s ways and plans were too great for Habakkuk.  When God clued him into His plan, Habakkuk’s response shows us it was more than he could handle:

Habakkuk 3:2
Lord, I have heard the report about You;
Lord, I stand in awe of Your deeds.
Revive Your work in these years;
make it known in these years.
In Your wrath remember mercy!

As Habakkuk witnessed the future where the Chaldeans would be punished by God’s wrath for the evil they committed, his only response was to ask God to remember His mercy for his people.  Habakkuk then composes a prayer which recounts the way God has moved historically for the nation and also how the earth still trembles at God’s power.  You can read it in its entirety in Habakkuk 3:3-15, but here are some of the highlights:

Habakkuk 3:6, 10-13
He stands and shakes the earth;
He looks and startles the nations.
The age-old mountains break apart;
the ancient hills sink down.
His pathways are ancient.

The mountains see You and shudder;
a downpour of water sweeps by.
The deep roars with its voice
and lifts its waves high.

Sun and moon stand still in their lofty residence,
at the flash of Your flying arrows,
at the brightness of Your shining spear.

You march across the earth with indignation;
You trample down the nations in wrath.
You come out to save Your people,
to save Your anointed.

This recorded back-and-forth conversation with God throughout the book has left Habakkuk worn out.  The only thing he has left in him is to marvel at what God has both allowed and designed in the same historical moments. 

Habakkuk thought he wanted to know what God was up to.  He expected, based on his undesired circumstances, that he had a strong complaint against what God was seemingly not bothered with.  But after seeing only a part of God’s master plan, Habakkuk realized that he was the one who had it all wrong.

We do the same thing, don’t we?  We look at the headlines full of greed, violence, and all sorts of evil – and wonder “Where is God in all this?  Why would He tolerate the oppression, injustice, and wickedness?”

Perhaps our perspective is as skewed as Habakkuk’s was.  God promises to take care of evil in due time (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19), but He doesn’t promise heavenly-perfect lives right now, either.

I think Monsabre’s perspective on this tension is the best one to take:
“If God would concede me His omnipotence for 24 hours, you would see how many changes I would make in the world. But if He gave me His wisdom too, I would leave things as they are.”

Keep Pressing,
Ken

That's a lot of trouble

In this series, we’re walking with a prophet that is little-known to most of us modern-day Christians.  Habakkuk lived in the last days of the southern kingdom of Judah, just before the Babylonians invaded and destroyed Jerusalem.  However, where the writings of most other Old Testament prophets were about God’s message to the people, what we find unique about the book of Habakkuk is that the prophet records his conversation with God on behalf of the people.

Initially, we heard Habakkuk confront God about the selfish, even down-right evil, actions his fellow countrymen were committing.  He was struggling to understand why God hadn’t stepped in to address the troubles in Judah.  Then, we read God’s response – He is planning on punishing/correcting Judah by allowing the Chaldeans (aka the Babylonians) to invade Judah.  Next, we looked at how Habakkuk dealt with his frustration and shock over God’s plan.  And last time, we learned how those who were living according to God’s design would survive the Chaldean invasion.

But now…God answers Habakkuk’s concerns that a sinful nation will be used to punish God’s derelict people.  Habakkuk was upset that a wicked people would prevail over God’s chosen people.  I mean…they might be misbehaving, but they’re still God’s people…and that has to count for something, right?  Habakkuk was upset that their enemy would profit at Judah’s expense. 

God replies with five “Woe” Oracles against the Chaldeans.  A Woe Oracle is a distinctive type of prophetic speech designed to express deeply held emotions of anger, grief, and fear.  The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea all pronounce “Woes” on various groups for the anti-God choices they make.  Each “Woe” God announces in the book of Habakkuk is an indictment of Chaldean society and includes (often graphically) how their evil choices will come back to destroy them.  Here are the five Woes which God declares.  Notice how each “Woe” is them moving further and further from God’s design for humanity:

Habakkuk 2:6, 9, 12, 15, 18-19
Woe to him who amasses what is not his…and loads himself with goods taken in pledge [i.e. – loans or debt].

Woe to him who dishonestly makes wealth for his house, to place his nest on high

Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and founds a town with injustice!

Woe to him who gives his neighbors drink, pouring out your wrath and even making them drunk, in order to look at their nakedness!

What use is a carved idol after its craftsman carves it? 
It is only a cast image, a teacher of lies.
For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it and makes worthless idols that cannot speak.
Woe to him who says to wood: Wake up! or to stone: Come alive!
Can it teach? 
Look! It may be plated with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.

Read the whole section of Habakkuk 2:6-19 to see how each of these “Woes” will bring punishment back on the Chaldeans.  For us, however, we shouldn’t just gloss over these accusations.  Resist the urge to scoff at the Chaldeans’ reliance on a carved idol which they expected to give them guidance and fulfillment.

Because, honestly…we do the same thing with our smart phones.

Looking at their increasingly self-centered actions, we can see the slippery slope that is open to everyone – both individually and as a society. 

These actions would be the Chaldeans’ undoing.  It’s best we heed their negative example before we experience the same consequences.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

God’s “Pro Tip”

In this series, we’re walking with a prophet that is little-known to most of us modern-day Christians.  Habakkuk lived in the last days of the southern kingdom of Judah, just before the Babylonians invaded and destroyed Jerusalem.  However, where the writings of most other Old Testament prophets were about God’s message to the people, what we find unique about the book of Habakkuk is that the prophet records his conversation with God on behalf of the people.

Initially, we heard Habakkuk confront God about the selfish, even down-right evil, actions his fellow countrymen were committing.  He was struggling to understand why God hadn’t stepped in to address the troubles in Judah.  Then, we read God’s response – He is planning on punishing/correcting Judah by allowing the Chaldeans (aka the Babylonians) to invade Judah.  Last time, we looked at how Habakkuk dealt with his frustration and shock over God’s plan.

This was God’s reply:

Habakkuk 2:2-4
The Lord answered me:

Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it.
For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
it testifies about the end and will not lie.
Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late.

Look, his ego is inflated; he is without integrity.
But the righteous one will live by his faith.

While the Babylonian oppressors are advancing to plunder and punish Judah, God is not blind to their inflated ego and lack of integrity.  In the following verses, God lays out five “Woes” to the Babylonians – five ways that their own transgressions will be their undoing.

For now, we need to stop here and recognize a significant truth in God’s reply. A “Pro Tip” is a useful piece of advice offered up by someone in the know. This is the “Pro Tip” God shares with Habakkuk:

But the righteous one will live by his faith.

Although Habakkuk protested at portion of the plan God revealed to him, God has set the course for history to follow.  However, He has not abandoned the Jews.  Their path through these upcoming troubled times will be to live by faith. 

To live by faith isn’t a simple phrase to make us feel warm and fuzzy when things get hard so we can go blindly ahead, telling ourselves everything will be ok.  Instead, living by faith is a confident trust in God to do what He has promised to do, despite the circumstances that come our way.  And if we haven’t seen God fulfill a particular promise yet, then living by faith is trusting His character that He will come through at a future moment in time.

This quote from God to Habakkuk echoes throughout the New Testament, as well.  Three times, it is quoted (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38).  All of the New Testament references are to trusting God to fulfill His promises when we are incapable of rescuing ourselves from our present circumstances.  The author of Hebrews continues in chapter 11, listing out Old Testament heroes who lived in difficult times but overcame by living a by faith lifestyle.  They were not defeated by hardship or difficulty because they trusted God to do what He said He would do.

So, even though Habakkuk and the nation of Judah was staring down the barrel of circumstances they did not want, God still shows them the way to live.  As evidence by the New Testament authors’ use of Habakkuk 2:4, that option is available to us, as well.

Are you, right now, living by faith?

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Asking God tough questions

In this series, we’re walking with a prophet that is little-known to most of us modern-day Christians.  Habakkuk lived in the last days of the southern kingdom of Judah, just before the Babylonians invaded and destroyed Jerusalem.  However, where the writings of most other Old Testament prophets were about God’s message to the people, what we find unique about the book of Habakkuk is that the prophet records his conversation with God on behalf of the people.

Initially, we heard Habakkuk confront God about the selfish, even down-right evil, actions his fellow countrymen were committing.  He was struggling to understand why God hadn’t stepped in to address the troubles in Judah.  Last time, we read God’s response – He is planning on punishing/correcting Judah by allowing the Chaldeans (aka the Babylonians) to invade Judah.

Here is Habakkuk’s response to God’s revelation:

Habakkuk 1:12-13
Are You not from eternity, Lord my God?
My Holy One, You will not die.
Lord, You appointed them to execute judgment;
my Rock, You destined them to punish us.
Your eyes are too pure to look on evil,
and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
So why do You tolerate those who are treacherous?
Why are you silent while one who is wicked swallows up
one who is more righteous than himself?

You can feel Habakkuk’s bewilderment in his response – Lord, you know everything…and yet, You are choosing THEM to bring correction on Your people?  THEY are worse than WE are!

God is aware of who the Chaldeans are and their deserved reputation for violence and cruelty.  However, Habakkuk continues, reminding God of their arrogant conquests:

Habakkuk 1:14-17
You have made mankind like the fish of the sea,
like marine creatures that have no ruler.
The Chaldeans pull them all up with a hook,
catch them in their dragnet,
and gather them in their fishing net;
that is why they are glad and rejoice.

That is why they sacrifice to their dragnet
and burn incense to their fishing net,
for by these things their portion is rich
and their food plentiful.
Will they therefore empty their net
and continually slaughter nations without mercy?

Habakkuk’s tone has shifted from bewilderment to a nervous urgency.  God, if You’re sending THEM as Judah’s reprimand, then they will pillage us without mercy.

Habakkuk has made his case before God as to why he thinks God’s plan is a bad idea.  Rather than belaboring the point, Habakkuk makes an interesting, intentional choice – he chooses to wait.

Habakkuk 2:1
I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the lookout tower.
I will watch to see what He will say to me
and what He will reply about my complaint.

Habakkuk has such great confidence in the Lord, that he is willing to wait for a reply.  He does not demand an immediate answer – like many of us do with our own questions and concerns.  Instead, Habakkuk pauses the conversation. 

It’s important to note that Habakkuk’s waiting isn’t idle.  He didn’t shut down and quit on everything else in life while he waited for God’s response.  No, he is waiting expectantly, trusting that the God he serves will have an answer.  In the meantime, though, Habakkuk will continue to stand guard in his responsibilities and watch for God’s response.

That is our example – we can ask God the hard questions, bringing our bewilderment and concerns to God…but we also need to respect His timing in how and when He chooses to answer us.  We should not act like doubtful, bratty children who stomp their feet and expect God to do what we want.  Instead, God desires for us to reason with Him and look for how He ultimately responds.  Maturity doesn’t mean we stop asking questions…being mature is trusting God with however He chooses to respond.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

That wasn't the answer he expected

In this series, we’re walking with a prophet that is little-known to most of us modern-day Christians.  Habakkuk lived in the last days of the southern kingdom of Judah, just before the Babylonians invaded and destroyed Jerusalem.  However, where the writings of most other Old Testament prophets were about God’s message to the people, what we find unique about the book of Habakkuk is that the prophet records his conversation with God on behalf of the people.

Last time, we heard Habakkuk confront God about the selfish, even down-right evil, actions his fellow countrymen were committing.  He was struggling to understand why God hadn’t stepped in to address the troubles in Judah.

God did reply – but His response certainly wasn’t the solution Habakkuk was looking for:

Habakkuk 1:6-11
Look!  I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter impetuous nation that marches across the earth’s open spaces to seize territories not its own. 
They are fierce and terrifying; their views of justice and sovereignty stem from themselves. 
Their horses are swifter than leopards and more fierce than wolves of the night. 
Their horsemen charge ahead; their horsemen come from distant lands. 
They fly like eagles, swooping to devour.

All of them come to do violence; their faces are set in determination.
They gather prisoners like sand.
They mock kings, and rulers are a joke to them.
They laugh at every fortress and build siege ramps to capture it.
Then they sweep by like the wind and pass through.
They are wind; their strength is their god.

The Chaldeans are not who Habakkuk was expecting when he petitioned God for a “rescuer” for his people.  In fact, these pagan foreigners are the complete opposite of who Habakkuk expected.

In Habakkuk’s situation, he asked for help…but God told him it’s going to get worse before it gets better.  This was necessary, even though it would be painful.

When looking back in our own lives, we often thank God for “unanswered prayers”, when we asked for blessings that we ultimately did not receive.  We thought the best thing for us would be to get “that job” we had applied for, or we wanted a romantic relationship with a specific person, or even safety when traveling.  Because if God had fulfilled our request and we had received what we wanted in the moment…life would have been so different that the relationships and blessings we have now would not have been experienced.

But sometimes, God’s answer to our requests is more than just a “No”.  Other times, He does allow the car accident, the cancer diagnosis, or other difficult situations to occur.  But if we’re honest, the motivation behind many our prayer requests has more to do with our immediate comfort than with our connectedness with God.

And that’s the bigger picture – both for us and for Habakkuk – going through hard times has the ability to strip away our selfishness and self-centeredness that keeps us from being who God made us to be.

If you’ve learned how to look into your past and thank God for what didn’t happen, the next step in maturity is to be able to thank God in the moment He denies our prayer request.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Why won’t God step in?

Have you found yourself frustrated with the direction the world is going lately?
Does it feel like God is allowing more evil activities to occur than you think He should?
Does it seem like justice isn’t falling on those who should really be receiving correction?

If you said ‘yes’ to any (or all) of these questions, then you can probably relate to the prophet Habakkuk.

Habakkuk lived in the last days of the southern kingdom of Judah, just before the Babylonians invaded and destroyed Jerusalem.  However, where most other prophet’s writings were about God’s message to the people, what we find unique about the book of Habakkuk is that the prophet records his conversation with God on behalf of the people.

And Habakkuk was really struggling with what he saw going on in the world.

From the start, you can tell this isn’t the first time Habakkuk has brought his frustrations to God.

Habakkuk 1:2-4
How long, Lord, must I call for help and You do not listen
or cry out to You about violence and You do not save?
Why do You force me to look at injustice?
Why do You tolerate wrongdoing?
Oppression and violence are right in front of me.
Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.

This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges.
For the wicked restrict the righteous;
therefore, justice comes out perverted.

Can you feel his frustration with society?

Do you hear the anguish in Habakkuk’s voice as he, yet again, points out injustice to God?

The Jews were oppressing their fellow countrymen, committing violence against their neighbors…without any real correction or indication that their behavior would ever stop.  In fact, Habakkuk points out the opposite: strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.  There is no end in sight for the depravity they are living in.

Habakkuk even goes so far as to say that God’s law – the 10 Commandments and following decrees – is ineffective.  When wicked people are in charge, justice is perverted.  Habakkuk just wants to know: Why are you allowing all this evil to go unchecked in the nation of Judah?

Here is God’s response:

Habakkuk 1:5
Look at the nations and observe – be utterly astounded!
For I am doing something in your days that you will not believe when you hear about it.

The first thing God tells Habakkuk is that his view is too small.  From his vantage point, Habakkuk cannot see the larger picture of history that God is operating in.  Where the prophet is focusing on his immediate situation, God tells him to look at the nations and observe. 

What God is actually up to will blow Habakkuk’s mind…even to the point he won’t believe it when God clues him in. 

Does that mean God doesn’t care about our suffering?  Is He turning a blind-eye to the steady stream of injustice witnessed in society?  Is God not upset that “His laws” are trampled on by those in authority?

God cares about all those things…but His timetable and His plan for history may not line up with what we think He should do.  Look at the promise God made to the nation of Israel hundreds of years before Habakkuk was born:

Deuteronomy 32:35-36
Vengeance and retribution belong to Me.
In time their foot will slip, for their day of disaster is near, and their doom will come quickly.
The Lord will indeed vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees that their strength is gone and no one is left – slave or free.

The people of Habakkuk’s day are still trying to do it themselves and make everything work via their own strength, rather than rely on God.  God’s justice will come, but society’s stubbornness has to run its course.

That’s our challenge, too.  Continue to live God’s way, even if evil and injustice persist in society around us.  God has a bigger picture in mind, one that includes justice at the right time.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

She knew who He was

At the end of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, God says this about when His coming Messiah arrives:

Malachi 4:2
But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall.

We need to be aware that Hebrew word kanap, which is translated wings, can also refer to an edge or hem of a garment.  This alternate translation is used in several places throughout the Old Testament.

This verse is among the last words that God spoke to the nation of Israel before going silent for 400 years.  Then, after all that time, Jesus arrives on the scene.  He demonstrates His authority through various healing miracles and teaching unlike any the people had heard before.  As His fame grew, so did the number of people who came to Him with their various illnesses and maladies.  However, there’s one healing story that did not make a whole lot of sense to me, until recently:

Mark 5:25-29
Now a woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years had endured much under many doctors.  She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all.  On the contrary, she became worse.  Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His clothing.  For she said, “If I just touch His clothes, I’ll be made well.”  Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

Her reasoning “If I just touch His clothes, I’ll be made well.” was the part I didn’t get.  I figured that’s kind of an odd thought, but it must have been ok since she was healed, right?

But read her account in light of the promise God made through the prophet Malachi – the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in His garments.  This wasn’t a crazy lady making stuff up about God and hoping for the best…this was a woman who, even after suffering for 12 years, knew God’s word and was clinging to His promises. 

She recognized Jesus as the Messiah – and because she knew the Scriptures, she boldly stepped forward to claim God’s promise for healing.  Even though she didn’t make a spectacle of her approach and she kept to herself in the crowd, her actions were still bold…she approached Jesus with confidence in who He was and what He was capable of.

Jesus recognized that someone who touched Him had been healed, and He stopped to see who it was.

Mark 5:32-33
But He was looking around to see who had done this.  The woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth.

She was caught, so to speak.  But she acted with boldness again, even though she was scared.  As she told Him the whole truth, it would not surprise me if she had quoted God’s prophecy through Malachi.  Although the words she spoke were with fear and trembling, listen to the gentle, loving response from Jesus:

Mark 5:34
“Daughter,” He said to her, “your faith has saved you.  Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.”

Her faith is what saved her from her affliction.  But what was it that she believed?  She believed that Jesus was the Messiah.  She believed God’s promises in the Scriptures.  Her trust in God was what delivered her.

So how about us?  Do we believe God’s promises?  We’re told that we, too, can approach Jesus with the same boldness of the woman in Mark 5.

Hebrews 4:16
Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

But…are we like the woman in Mark 5?  She knew who Jesus was because she knew God’s word.  Do we know God’s promises given for us in the Scriptures?  Faith in who Jesus is will give us the boldness to seek Him in our time of need.

Keep Pressing,
Ken