Wait for it... wait for it...

Do you ever stop and think about how much of our lives are spent just waiting?  It's actually kind of depressing, so I wouldn't recommend it as a regular pastime.  But contemplating stop lights, drive thru lines, slow web pages and procrastinating bloggers once in a while does give you some perspective.  And perspective is what I think we need when it comes to God's plan for the universe that spans all of history and includes this tiny speck of time we inhabit called "now."

After blowing Habakkuk's mind with the idea that He would use the Babylonians to judge His chosen people, God reassured the perplexed prophet by declaring judgement also upon Babylon.  "But," He said, "the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay." (Habakkuk 2:3)

Often I find myself wishing God would hurry up.  It's tough to wait.  But I can also look back at many times in my life when, if God had been on my timetable, I would not have been in His perfect will.  So I'm trying to learn to wait for it.

The new Testament picks up this theme and gives us another reason to be glad God sticks to His own schedule.  Rebuffing those who scoffed at Jesus' promise to return because He hadn't done so within a few decades, Peter said, "Do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:8-9)

So I guess we have a few things to occupy our time while we wait in the checkout line or for God to show us the next big step in out lives.  Actively believe that God DOES have a plan and that His timing IS best.  Do what you can to move forward in life… but don't run ahead of God!  And along the way, try to bring a few people with you.  God is waiting – in the big picture – for people to come to faith in Him.  And He may be waiting – in your specific circumstance – for you impact those around you here and NOW!

gods of our own making

A couple of my favorite keepsakes are hand-crafted fishing lures made by my Uncle Carlos and given to me when he died last year.  An avid angler, he loved to cut, shape, paint and tie little masterpieces to cast into the water and reel back in with dinner – or a nice wall trophy – attached.  He built them with passion, displayed them with pride and used them with prowess.  But there is one thing I never saw him do.  He never bowed down before his tackle box and worshiped the work of his hands.

Now you might think, "Of course not.  That would be crazy."  But when you read Habakkuk's description of the Babylonians, the concept doesn't seem so far fetched.  He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad.  Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet; for by them he lives in luxury, and his food is rich. (Habakkuk 1:15-16)

The worship of idols is a nearly universal practice, even among those who don't keep little statues around the house.  For in reality, an idol is anything to which I ascribe more value, and therefore treat with more admiration and devotion, than God.  And some of the most common idols in our civilized societies are indeed the works of our hands and the tools of our trades.

Sometimes I like to fancy myself a "professional musician."  After all, part of my employment is leading worship.  But if I'm not careful, I can end up spending all my time focused on the process of crafting a perfect worship experience, or dreaming about the next shiny six-stringed idol I'm going to hang on my wall, and lose sight of God Himself.

The gifts and abilities God has given us, along with the resources we use to do what He has called us to do, can be a source of great enjoyment.  But they must always be implements  to facilitate worship and never objects of worship themselves.  After all, I'd look pretty silly bowing to an amplifier… even if it does make me sound pretty good sometimes!

The Remedy Is Worse Than the Disease

The oft-quoted axiom titling this post is from the essay, "Of Seditions and Troubles," by Sir Francis Bacon.  In context, it refers to the putting down of seditions by military force and warns that such action should only be entrusted to men of "valor and good repute" lest they themselves stage the next coup.  In other words, "Don't use troublemakers to get rid of troublemakers."

While Bacon's famous words were penned in 1601, a very similar sentiment was recorded 2400 years earlier by the prophet Habakkuk.  In 600 BC, the nation of Judah was once again in spiritual, moral and social decline.  The dramatic reforms of King Josiah had failed to carry over to the next generation and the resulting decent into injustice and corruption troubled Habakkuk greatly.

But after calling out for divine intervention and hearing God's reply, Habakkuk was pretty sure his people were in for a remedy worse than their disease.  Specifically, God was "raising up the Babylonians" to bring judgment on Judah.  If Habakkuk was distraught before, he was simply beside himself now.

Sure, the people of Judah had disobeyed God and deserved His discipline.  But the Babylonians were pagans!  They didn't even pay lip service to Jehovah.  How could He use them to serve justice on His own people?  The three chapters of Habakkuk are really all about how the prophet, with God's help, wrestled that paradox to the ground and came to a fuller understanding of God's sovereign rule over all the world and history.

As I observe the current state of "Christianity" and "the Church," especially in America, sometimes I feel a bit like Habakkuk.  No doubt, revival is needed.  And perhaps it will take some chastisement from the Lord to get us there.  But I still struggle with how the "sinners" often (seem to) prevail over the "saints" in social and moral conflict.  Why does a high-profile athlete who says she loves Jesus  go from national hero to tabloid target?  Why does a businessman who states his personal conviction about the sanctity of marriage go from admired entrepreneur to despised bigot?  Has God decided to quit standing up for His people?  Are we so far gone that He is just going to let the world run us over?

Like Habakkuk, I don't have all the answers… and, also like Habakkuk, probably couldn't handle them even if I did.  But I do know that God is on His throne and history is HIS-story.  Righteousness WILL prevail in the end.  I just hope the just can learn to live by faith along the way without the need for a bitter pill.