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

Hope while navigating catastrophes

My wife and I recently watched the Netflix movie Leave the World Behind, starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, and Ethan Hawke.  As the movie progresses, you begin to realize that something catastrophic has happened in the USA, and the technology we all rely upon is no longer available.  The main characters struggle to figure out what’s happening, what they should do next, and how much they should trust each other.  Through odd camera angles and tension-building music, the director paints a picture of unease and curiosity that lasts over two hours.  By the end of the movie, there is no resolution given to the world changing events; instead, the story has focused on the dynamic of ordinary people reacting to and changing in situations they can’t control.

To be honest, I don’t watch a lot of movies, but when I do, it’s typically for simple entertainment value.  Give me a story where the problem is resolved, there’s some crazy action stunts, sprinkle in some unexpected, quippy humor…and I’m good.  Leave the World Behind did not even come close to that category of film. 

Afterwards, my wife and I talked through all the different catastrophic scenarios that could happen in our area and what we could do about them.  We recognized that you can prepare for a lot of stuff, but ultimately, you can’t prepare for everything.  That’s when it hit me – if all there is to our lives are the events we are living through right now, then the realization that a natural disaster or global catastrophe could end everything we know and love…that would be mind-shatteringly depressing.  However, if Jesus is right and death is not the end of our lives…then the potential of these terrible scenarios, while still horrific, have much less bite. 

In light of God’s promise of life beyond what we see here, thinking through all these uncontrollable world events reminded me of a few verses I memorized many years ago, from my NIV84 Bible:

Titus 1:1-2
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Christ Jesus for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness – a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time

The faith we have in God and the knowledge God gives us of the truth are not simply coping mechanisms to make us feel better in this life.  Trusting God is who He says He is and striving to understand Him better are not just distraction techniques or escapism fantasies, ideas that have no foundation other than our own wishful thinking.

Instead, Paul tells us that our faith and knowledge [are] resting on the hope of eternal life.  Our foundation for our trust in God and our perspective on this life rest upon our confident expectation that God has promised eternal life to those who believe Him for it.  God promises that He gives us never-ending absolute fullness of life.  Do you believe that?  If you do, then our confident expectation of eternal life is what sustains us as we move through all of life’s troublesome times.  Even when the catastrophic happens.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Bedrock truth

It’s amazing to me that it’s the simple ideas that keep us going. 

I love playing in the sandbox of theology, looking over the constructs of other people’s best understanding of God.  Some ridiculously smart people have thought through God’s Word and arrived at some intricate, mind-blowing conclusions.  The mental gymnastics it takes to keep up while comparing their thoughts to Scripture is both exhausting and exciting to me.

But not when detours happen.

When I’m already mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted…I’m not looking for deep-thought theology.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want “mamby-pamby feelly-good” sentiments either.  When life takes a detour, I need simple, straight-forward, bedrock truth.

David understood this need.  He felt it, too. 

This week, I’ve been dwelling on Psalm 16.  It wasn’t until the second day, when I had already read through the psalm several times, that I noticed a four-word sentence at the end of verse five.  But as soon as I saw it, those four simple words became my anchor.

Psalm 16:5
You hold my future.

David needed to say these words to God, to remind himself of what was true.  Despite whatever he saw coming his way, how he felt, or who was causing him trouble…David’s future was in God’s hands. 

Since noticing that verse, I have kept my Bible open next to me as I work on our next step.  Whenever the tension would rise and the stress would start to build and my mind would start to cloud up with doubt…I would look over and read those words out loud.

You. Hold. My. Future.

That’s all it took to calm me back down so I would be able to go forward again.  Just that small dose of truth.  Remembering that Someone who is more powerful, who understands more, who sees more, and – most importantly – who loves me…that Someone is the One who holds my future.

When life takes a detour, what we really need is to be reminded of the simple, powerful, foundational truths.

I am not alone.  Neither are you.
I am not abandoned.  Neither are you.
I can go forward.  So can you.
He holds my future.  He holds yours, too.

Keep Pressing,
Ken