WordLive - Year OneSample

Prepare: Take time to be silent before God. Don’t struggle or worry – just be.

Certain judgement
This time, God’s answer to Habakkuk’s complaint was so certain that he told the prophet to write it down straight away, in advance of it actually happening. In a series of vivid contrasts, of sins and woes, Habakkuk saw that the fate of the evil-doers would mirror what they had done to others.

The corrupt, the arrogant, the immoral and the violent would all be judged by God and punished appropriately for their wickedness. Shame and disgrace would replace self-glorification.

Short-lived triumph
Although things had seemed to be going their way for so long, the triumph of those who had abandoned God would ultimately prove to be short-lived. The noise and clamour of sin would cease and human-made idols would be shown to be worthless. In contrast, God was alive and present. The only right response to him was awed, silent worship.

In the meantime, while like Habakkuk we wait for God to act, we don’t have to follow the crowd. We don’t have to join in with all that is worst in our world. We can live according to the radically different standards of ‘the righteous’ (v 4). In every situation, there is a choice. Will we live by faith, or put our trust in ourselves?

Respond: What does living by faith mean for you today? Are you facing particular challenges at home or at work where you really want to stick to God’s righteous standards? Pray for your life to be distinctively godly.

http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-08-29