I attended a seminar on burnout in the ministry put on by Rev. Bill Mills. This pastor used Bible characters to show how they faced burnout. Each attendee received a book called Finishing Well. n it was a chapter entitled When God Disappoints Us. That title took me back a little because never thought of being disappointed in God, but I understood anger or confusion. The more I read, the more I realize that, yes, sometimes I am disappointed in God just like the prophet Habakkuk. The situation in srael was not good. Not only was sin abounding but so was the problems the nation was facing. “ The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received. 2 How long, Lord, must call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?” Hab. 1:2.
Recently, we’ve witnessed the devastation of Ukraine at the hands of Communistic Russia where the superpower is overrunning the country with bomb, missiles, and trained soldiers. Why, God aren’t you doing something to overcome this evil power?
We see signs all around us in our sinful world and ask why isn’t God doing something about; the murder of babies, or the oppressions of minority races, or sex trafficking? Why must God be silent when society is getting worse instead of better? Why is worldwide havoc with heat, fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes. Are the signs of the times ripe for Christ’s return. Habakkuk also asked why is it taking so long for God to answer prayers? Isn’t God able to do something about it and if He is able, why is He silent and not stopping the evil so prevalent?
Habakkuk was a prophet of God and continued to watch the decline of his nation Judah. He prayed that God would intervene and bring about revival. The harder he prayed, the more disillusioned he became. The nation was becoming more and more ungodly.
Does that sound familiar? We live in a land that seems to be spiraling downward in more open sexual sins, in re-defining marriage, in outlawing the 10 commandments from our land, and taking down Bible verses in any public place. Right and wrong are now relative. People believe what they want to believe and yet people are praying that God would bring a renewal and keeps delaying it. We can ask like Habakkuk, “How long Lord before you are going to say STOP to reign of Satan? How long do we have to pray for healing to occur? How long do we have to intercede for a wayward family member? How long before someone we love comes to faith in Jesus Christ? How long must the godly suffer injustice?
This small book of prophecy is addressing these questions that have plagued people for years. The prophets of old are not happy books to read, but important to be like a mirror God want us to see more closely the condition of our hearts.
Prayer: Lord, heal our land; Father, heal our land
Hear our cry and turn our nation back to You
Forgive our sin and heal our broken land
