Laced With Grace – Christian Devotions

It’s Not Fair!

By Susan March 22, 2016 Devotion

Hab. 2-

“It’s not fair!”

How many times have you heard this?

How many times have you said it??

The book of Habakkuk opens with the prophet’s complaint about fairness, “Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?” Habakukk 1:3

After God’s unexpected reply, Habakkuk issued a second complaint.

And then he stated, “I will climb up into my watchtower now and wait to see what the Lord will say to me and how He will answer my complaint.” Habakkuk 2:1

Well done, Habakkuk!

How often do we complain to God about things we don’t understand, but we don’t have the patience to wait for the Lord’s answer. Note the steps Habakkuk took in his conversation with God:

  1. He voiced his problem to God.
  2. He separated himself from his environment and people around him.
  3. He waited with expectation that the Lord would answer him and with eagerness to see how He would answer him.

In our busy world, it’s so much easier for me to write and for you to read these truths than it is for us to actually do them. But if you don’t have a handy watchtower to escape to, close your eyes. Take a deep breath.  Picture for yourself a “watchtower,” a “War Room,” a meadow, even a locked bathroom, any place of solace where even in the midst of your storm, you can experience the still, small voice of the Lord. And determine to wait.

God’s response to the second complaint is a verse often quoted in beautiful graphics (the one pictured here is a gift my daughter made for me when I took my first steps into the world of writing.)

Then the Lord said to me, “Write my answer in large, clear letters on a tablet, so that a runner can read it and tell everyone else.

But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. It is seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.” Habakkuk 2:1-3

Now let’s note the steps that God instructed Habakkuk:

  1. Write My message large and clearly, “plain” as some translations say. Share what God has shared with you in a way that your listener can receive it.
  2. “Tell everyone else.” OK, maybe we shouldn’t tell EVERYone. It depends on what God told you and how personal it is. But don’t be afraid to share what God has shared with you.
  3. Be patient. His promise is true. God’s plan will unfold in His perfect timing. To rush it would ruin its perfection. But the One you trust is faithful and true.

And then hold on to that faith when the answers start to happen in unexpected ways. God’s answer to Habakkuk – the vision to be fulfilled – isn’t one that any of us would want. God’s plan included a series of five “woes” for the nation of Israel, five judgments that would take the nation from a terrible situation into a worse one. But God’s plan intended for His people to turn from their wicked ways and eventually be restored in relationship with Him.

At the end of his book, without having had a change in his situation, Habakkuk prayed that no matter what happens:

… 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 tread on the heights.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

 

And this is encouragement for us to do the same. Are you struggling in today’s trial, feeling unable or unwilling to rejoice in the Lord? Share your pain with the Lord, head for your watchtower, and wait patiently, my dear friend.

The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it! 1 Thess 5:24

How can I pray for you today?

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www.susanpanzica.com

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