Habakkuk's Question

-

Scripture: Habakkuk 1:1-4 (ESV)

1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.

Habakkuk’s Complaint

2     O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,

and you will not hear?

       Or cry to you “Violence!”

and you will not save?

3     Why do you make me see iniquity,

and why do you idly look at wrong?

       Destruction and violence are before me;

strife and contention arise.

4     So the law is paralyzed,

and justice never goes forth.

       For the wicked surround the righteous;

so justice goes forth perverted.

 

Meditation

            This reading from the prophet Habakkuk is definitely a prayer that God’s people can and should pray today. We as God’s faithful people need to continue to ask these questions of our God until God answers us. We must be like the widow in the Gospel story who kept bothering the judge until she got justice.

            Our world is a violent and dangerous place. It seems like the wicked abound. God’s answer to Habakkuk was that God would send a nation to take Israel into captivity as the punishment for her sins. Let us hope that God does not have to take such drastic action today. The problem of wickedness was Israel’s problem in Habakkuk’s time. So today’s wickedness problem is with the wickedness we do or put up with others doing.

            Let us pray this prayer today and not be afraid of the answer we may receive. This world is in the grip of violence and only the Prince of Peace can save us from ourselves.

            Prayer

            Lord, hear our prayer of complaint. We hear of violence throughout the nations. The crying of the poor and needy of every land for justice reaches our ears. Surly you must hear this as well. Show us today how we participate in this violent world system and bring us to repentance. Help us to show others the way of peace by pursuing it ourselves. Make us responsive to your world today. Amen.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcoming the Unwelcome

-
  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapter seven as an aid to interpreting the events that occurred last Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On that da
Read more

Father Forgive Them

-
  Scripture: Luke 23:33-34 (ESV) 33  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Devotion:             The situation Jesus finds himself in here in today’s scripture is difficult for us to even imagine. A sham trial, no credible accusations of any kind, let alone any deserving of death, and yet here he is. A brilliant Rabbi, a teacher of the people who never led even one person astray from God’s will. This Holy One of God soon to be food for vultures.             This man who had done nothing wrong had no one in all the crowds who would speak up in his defense lest they be next to face the cross. An innocent man hung between two scoundrels. No voice from heaven declaring that this was the man that they were killing was actually the true Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28) No the heaven
Read more

Transgenderism letter

-
  This is a copy of my letter to my senators, representative, and President Biden. January 15, 2024 Dear President Biden, Senators T. Duckworth, R. Durbin, and Representative D. LaHood             I am writing to you because I am concerned about the situation affecting our children and grandchildren, namely transitioning them from one gender to another. This nation must adjust course concerning these “interventions” because they are dangerous, irreversible, and life-changing. Our country should not be permitting these procedures on minor children under any circumstances. We must also make sure that adults who seek this care are given informed consent as to the risks versus benefits of sex reassignment treatments.             There are many drawbacks to gender-affirming care for minors. Besides the loss of any ability to give or receive sexual pleasure and sterility these treatments cause, there are social and psychological effects that we have no way of identifying because these
Read more