“So the law is paralyzed,
and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
so justice goes forth perverted.
‘Look among the nations, and see;
wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
that you would not believe if told.
For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
that bitter and hasty nation,
who march through the breadth of the earth,
to seize dwellings not their own.'”
– Habakkuk 1:4-6
Habakkuk begins with a very ironic conversation between the prophet and the Lord. It’s difficult to capture it in an abridged format like this. Essentially, Habakkuk cries out to God about the widespread injustice in the world. He complains about how long it’s taking God to respond to His people’s cries.
Then God basically replies by saying, “Good news! I’m solving the problem by unleashing the Babylonian Empire to take over everything and destroy Jerusalem!” Needless to say, the prophet is less than enthusiastic about God’s solution! Nonetheless, that is exactly how God chose to deliver justice to a deeply corrupt and sinful nation. And that is what God used to preserve and refine the faithful remnant who would carry on the faith.
God’s ways truly are bigger, better, higher, and yes, stranger, than we can possibly imagine. He accomplishes His just and righteous will in ways that often make our jaws drop. As a follower of Jesus, be diligent in praying for justice and righteousness to fill the earth. But never try to limit God in how He accomplishes that goal. Simply trust Him when He promises that He will.
Understand that between now and the final judgment of the world by Jesus and the restoration of creation, there will be extremely difficult times. They aren’t a reason to doubt God, they are the evidence that you can trust Him. #FollowJesus