God Is Not ChatGPTSample

But the Lord is in his holy temple; walk before him all the earth.

The prevailing call to silence in the presence of the one and true God that appears in verse 20 is a timely way to conclude the questions of the prophet, the suffering of the people and the quackery of the pagans before their idols. It is also the only proper way to respond to the Lord's statement of the five afflictions about Babylon. There's nothing more to say. In the light of God's words of judgment, "let every mouth be silent" (Ro. 3:19).

By calling the whole earth to remain silent in the presence of the Lord, Habakkuk was recognizing that he also needed to stop looking for an explanation for all his dilemmas. When he heard God's clear response to his urgent prayers, he realized that there is "time to be silent, and time to speak" (Ec. 3:7). He had spoken and he had continued talking. If he said something else, now that God had answered him clearly, he would be falling into paganism, as if he were going to be heard by his "palabrería" (Mt. 6:7).

Habakkuk was sure that, far from leaving the place of sovereign power, the Lord was truly in his holy temple. That word "usually refers to the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem, but, since ancient times, the earthly sanctuary was considered a replica of the sanctuary of heaven.

In the previous verses we noticed the insistences of seeking, finding, receiving, something from the wooden Gods that were designed in that context. But as we have been talking, God is not Chat GPT. He is the Sovereign Lord and as shown in the Bible (he is sitting in his temple), the people should be silent, and wait for him to indicate what the way was; now at present we must all also wait for him and know that he is sitting in his holy temple.

God was still on the throne and even the powerful empire of the Babylonians was firmly under his authority.

Today, we live in a spiritual climate that encourages, in a healthy way and with all reason, to be open and honest (with God and with each other) about the pains and pressures of faith and to believe in a holy and compassionate God that controls an increasingly dark world. Therefore, we find that the plain and fervent way of praying that Habakkuk has is a tonic for discouragement and a stimulant for our own walk with God. But we also need to make room for silence, stop talking and even thinking to be completely still and quiet in the presence of the Lord.

The main point of what we have been saying is that the real God will not act on our requests like the search engine already mentioned (Chat GPT). He wants us to know how to wait so that his blessing in his time can manifest itself grandiosely in our lives.

Devotion to the Lord is reasoning and not emotional, it is that reason that has been produced by faith and the systematic study of it. God does not give us for our requests, he wants to give us many things; but in due time and waiting correctly.

Let's be patient and not wait for the Lord to respond to our requests like a website. May God bless you and help you to wait reasonably in it.

- Jesús Vargas.