Flourish

Welcome to what feels like a new reality TV version of Gilligan’s Island. Like much of the rest of society, I’m stuck in a homebound time warp. Most days I’m wearing the same outfit, tasked with figuring out how to use what I have, to do what I need, like Gilligan’s crew on the TV show using coconuts and nothing but bamboo. 

The real problem is that you and I are not simply actors on a TV show. Gilligan’s Island is a relatable illustration, but a pandemic is not a Hollywood fabrication. Before you and I end up somewhat delusional, burying bottles of hand sanitizer in our backyards, we need a better plan. For insight, we look to the prophet, Habakkuk. He, too, faced the unprecedented, offering true wisdom for how to flourish in your present. 

Habakkuk is given a vision by God. Not much had happened yet. But as the prophet of God, the mouthpiece, he could see what was coming in the future and was charged with making it known. 

The vision was unsettling. He saw bag guys overcoming the good with God’s blessing. Conflict, injustice, and wickedness prevailed over the righteous. The country was ravaged. It left Habakkuk with huge questions and real perplexities, much like we might find ourselves entertaining with death tolls rising, falling markets, and the strange disappearance of life as we once knew it. 

God, how could you?

Sound familiar? If you have ventured to the store to find the basics only to be denied entrance, or suddenly find yourself encountering people encased in plastic, you can likely relate on some level. Fear is in the air. Anxiety is squeezing out all the oxygen and buying up all the toilet paper. Many worldwide are frightened, wondering, what is going to happen?

Before you order an unreasonable stash of wet wipes, understand something about this message. God is not moving you to survive this moment in history. He needs you to lead out during it. More than He needs His people to make it through, He is looking for you to flourish. So, hear as one who is responsible—not simply for yourself, but to take what you have, use it, and pass it along. He is equipping you for a greater purpose.