The Lord Is Up To Something
Daily Old Testament Reading:Habbakuk 1-2, 2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36
Daily Focus Passage: Habbakuk 1
We live in a world filled with chaos. This chaos often forces us to lose sight of the work of the Lord around us. When we think of biblical examples like Job or Elijah, we find that followers of Christ struggle to maintain focus on the Lord as they endure various experiences in this world. Often, the question is asked how long O Lord? This question centers on understanding why we experience chaos and evil. What we find in Habakkuk Comm is the promise and the truth that though we live in a time of chaos and a fallen world, the Lord continues to be at work.
We must see that the Lord is up to something, even though we must understand the dynamics of this world. This world is filled with the presence of violence, and cruel activities cause pain. We see that people struggle against one another, attempting to harm one another; we see this played out not only in violence but also in the presence of injustice. We recognize that justice in our eyes is never present because we in the flesh only pervert genuine justice. Thus, we find that we live in a world filled and controlled by wrongdoing because lives are lived counter to the will and to the ways of God. Thus, we find a world filled with conflict and oppression as righteousness and peace seem nonexistent. Therefore, as a follower of Christ, we must understand the dynamics of the world that are occurring because of our sinful nature.
When we consider the current nature of the world, we also sometimes believe that the Lord is distant. The question is simple: Habakkuk asks, how long, O Lord, must I call for help? The question seemingly centers on the concept that he has asked for the Lord to work, yet he feels that the Lord has not hurt him. He wants to ask the Lord why you seem to tolerate evil. When worldly chaos breaks in, there is always a danger that you and I may feel distant from the Lord or that the Lord does not care for us. The truth is the Lord is not distant; we cannot see him at work or respond in the way we think he should as followers of Christ; we must understand that though he may seem distant, he is still right there with us.
Notice that the Lord responds to the prophet Habakkuk. The Lord said look, I am up to something; you will not believe the call here to Habakkuk is the same call he gives us today as we walk and navigate various experiences. The first step we as followers of Christ must do is to look and observe; period, to look and keep means that we are looking at what is happening around us. It means that we must seek to understand why the struggles exist or why we are battling sin in our lives. When the church becomes self-centered, self-righteous, and allows the Lord to become secondary as a priority, then we fail to be the salt to the world in need of salt, and as a result, the right of sin continues, and the church faces all types of struggles and difficulty. Thus, the call to the prophet is to look and see the reality of why what is occurring is occurring.
The Lord not only wants us to look and observe but promises us that he is up to something. God is doing something beyond our understanding and the understanding in our minds that we can understand and grasp. We recognize that he works for his glory, will, and purpose. The Lord works before us when we don't recognize what is ahead. The Lord is working with us as we navigate the world around us and attempt to have the strength to persevere through the challenges ahead. The Lord is ever present, knowing and giving us every ability to navigate our world.
As believers, we often look around and want to ask the question of God: how long O Lord? We often fail to recognize his goodness and the work that is going on around us. We become blinded by circumstances, struggles, and pain. Yet, the Lord is up to something great and mighty. This truth must give us hope. This truth must motivate us because the Lord is doing something great. The question is, God, what are you up to, and may I be part of the task?
