Day 202 – Habakkuk: Complaints, answers, and prayer
“This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.” Habakkuk 2:3 NLT
Habakkuk asked God why the wicked in Judah were not being punished for their sin. He couldn’t understand why a just God would allow such evil to exist. God promised to use the Babylonians to punish Judah. When he cried out for answers in his time of struggle, God answered with words of hope. He did not reprimand Habakkuk nor scoff at the questions. God wants us to come to him with our questions, complaints, struggles, and doubts. The answers may not be what we expect; however, God sustains us by revealing Himself to us. Trusting God leads to quiet hope, not bitter resignation.
God still controls the world despite the apparent triumph of evil. God doesn’t overlook sin, and one day His perfect justice will rule. He is the Creator, the All-powerful. He has a plan, and it will come to pass. Sin will be punished. We can have confidence that He will love us and guard our relationship with Him forever because He is our strength and place of safety. This gives us hope, allowing us to go beyond our unpleasant daily experiences to the joy of knowing God.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the confirmation that our hope comes from You. Thank You that we can live by trusting You and not by the benefits, happiness, or success we may experience in this world. Amen.
