PERSEVERING TRUST IN PERPLEXING TIMES

Why do You show me iniquity,

And cause me to see trouble?  

Why?  It is the big question.  We see things happen in this world and are perplexed.  We believe that God is great and good—so why does He allow evil to exist?  Scripture acknowledges this struggle—and it is the theme of the prophecy of Habakkuk.  He has been called, “the doubting Thomas of the Old Testament.”  If we are honest, we will say at times, “Me too!”  Is God great, but not good?  He could do something about the wicked things that happen, but chooses not to do so.  Is God good, but not great?  He does not want such horror to happen, but He cannot stop it all.  Either proposition diminishes the nature of God—and that is why some conclude there is no God.  Let us listen in on the struggle Habakkuk faced and hear the solutions He found that can give us a faith that stands.

Habakkuk is believed to have ministered at the same time as Jeremiah.  Both men would observe the judgment of God being unleashed upon His people.  Habakkuk refers to the Chaldeans—the Babylonians—whose brutal and bloody armies were attacking Judah. They were going to be God’s instrument to inflict discipline on His disobedient people.  That Judah deserved chastisement was undeniable.  Warning after warning had been given.  The rod of correction had been applied in various times and degrees.  The prophet is perplexed, however, that God would use a pagan people—surely more sinful than the Jews—as His means to discipline Israel.

What if God uses a violent people and the instrument of terrorism to visit His judgment on America?  In a future day, might it be that the Holy One would allow an invasion of this land by an oppressive nation?  Our response is typically, “We don’t deserve this!”  No—we deserve far worse!  Justice alone would have wiped us off the face of the earth long ago. It is only the mercy of a loving God that puts up with us.  If I got what was coming to me, I would be cast into hell—and so would you.  When we compare ourselves with others sinners, we can find some that are worse than we are, but the truth is that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and the wages of sin is death.   

The key verse in this book is also one of the most important in Scripture.  It is found in 2:4, “But the just shall live by his faith.”  This text is quoted three times in the New Testament (Rom.1:17; Gal.3:11; Heb.10:38).  It is the key to real life—how eternal life commences, conquers, and is consummated as we are saved by faith, live by faith, and die in faith.

Never doubt in the dark what God has told you in the light.  There will be dark times—always have been and always will be while we are in this world ravaged by sin and death.  Habakkuk was in a dark place and it was getting darker.  That is how it seems today.  The Bible predicts a world that will become engulfed by the blackness of sin, until Christ’s return brings the dawn of a new day.

We need a persevering trust in these perplexing times.   We must walk by faith and not by sight.  The world says, “Seeing is believing” but God says, “Believing is seeing.”

HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;

My steps had nearly slipped.  (Psalm 73:2)

Nevertheless I am continually with You;

You hold me by my right hand.  (Psalm 73:23)

As children, we learn to pray, “God is great; God is good.”  As we age, we may begin to wonder, “If God is great and good, why doesn’t He do something about all the bad in the world?”  We may then have a crisis of faith.  That was true of Asaph—the writer of Psalm 73.  He first states the proposition that God is good (v.1).  Then, he acknowledges his struggle with doubt (v.2-16).  A turning point comes when he enters the house of God and gains an eternal perspective (v.17-20).  He closes with a triumphant song of trust (v.21-28).  He was shaken, but the solid footing of truth preserved Asaph.  He wobbled, but the strength of God held him firm and kept him from falling.  We have a modern day version of these truths in the hymn, “How Firm a Foundation.”   Asaph, being a singer himself, would have appreciated those lyrics.

The reality is that the storms of life can sweep in and make the surface slippery beneath us.  That had happened to Asaph (v.2).  The temptation arises when we take our eyes off the Lord above us, and look at the world about us (v.3).  Asaph saw sinners prospering, while he and other saints were plagued (v.3-16).  Have we not been tempted as we looked at the wicked and thought, “Why, they have it made!  Look at all the fun they are having in sin!  There is no judgment on them—indeed, they are succeeding in life!”  This provides fertile soil for the germination of envy—the seed of that sin thus planted, begins to sprout—a noxious weed that wraps itself around our mind and seeks to choke out faith.

There came, however, the pivotal moment, when the spade of Scripture dug up the choking weeds of doubt—human reason displaced by heavenly revelation.  Grasping at straws, Asaph decides to make one last trek to the house of God.  I cannot tell you the occasions that I have come to worship when my heart was distressed—feeling abandoned by God—and left with faith shored up and a song in my soul!  It was the Word of God that brought understanding and made the difference for Asaph (v.17).  It has for me and it will for you.  His eyes were opened to see past the immediate prosperity of the wicked to their eternal destiny—that sinners face destruction in the end.

The end for the righteous, however, is another matter!  Here, there may be trials, but hereafter there will be triumph (v.21-28)!  Despite the wavering of his commitment to God, God firmly held to His commitment to Asaph.  The road was rough, but the important thing about the road was that it led to heaven!

If you are struggling with the same questions today, seek the Lord, come to His house, hear His Word, and affirm with Asaph,

But it is good for me to draw near to God;

I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,

That I may declare all Your works.  (v.28)

Then we may enthusiastically embrace these lyrics,

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!

What more can He say than to you He hath said,

To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled!