LIVING BY FAITH IN THIS TROUBLED WORLD
Kayla
Mueller, 26 years old, was captured by ISIS, and on February 10, 2015, U.S.
officials confirmed that Muslim extremists had murdered her while in captivity.
She wrote to her family as a captor in the spring of 2014. The letter begins
with Kayla’s assurance that she has been treated well and is “in a safe
location, completely unharmed + healthy.” The 26-year-old aid worker goes on to
apologize touchingly to her family for the suffering that she has put them
through because of her captivity. Then comes her central proposition:
“I
remember mom always telling me that all in all, in the end, the only one you
really have is God. I have come to a place in experience where, in every sense
of the word, I have surrendered myself to our creator because literally there
was no else.” Kayla, who was involved in the campus ministry at Northern
Arizona University, goes on to relate how “by God and by your prayers I have
felt tenderly cradled in freefall.” She adds, “I have been shown in darkness
and light and have learned that even in prison, one can be free. I am grateful.
I have come to see that there is good in every situation; sometimes, we just
have to look for it.”
She
concluded, “Please be patient, give your pain to God. I know you would want me
to remain strong. That is exactly what I am doing. Do not fear for me, and
continue to pray as I will. By God’s will, we will be together soon. All my
everything, Kayla.”[1]
Kayla, though lived only 26 years, she lived by Faith under extremely troubling
situations and has gone to be with her maker in Heaven. She leaves a lesson for
us on how to Live By Faith In This Troubled World. The sixth-century B.C
prophet Habakkuk has a valuable lesson to teach 21st-century believers how to
navigate this troubling world in which we are called to live and make an
impact.
The
prophet Habakkuk is rather an obscure figure that we don’t often hear about
during Sunday services, yet he has a profound message for all of us. His little
book of three chapters is one of the gems in the OT. It was written when the
Babylonians were the undisputed power in the region. Habbakkuk’s problem was
divine justice. How could a mighty God, seeing all the wickedness and evil in
the world, remain unconcerned? That was Habakkuk’s dilemma.
Habakkuk
noticed violence, lawbreaking, and injustice go unpunished, so he questioned
God about it. God’s answer troubled him even more, so he asked God again the
second time about justice. God reassured Habakkuk that if he could only wait,
it would all be clear for him. This satisfied Habakkuk, and with renewed Faith,
he seemed to conclude that, Given God’s nature, his own questions were
unjustified. What made Habakkuk remain silent? (Hab 2:20).
Another significant thing about this small book is that The Habakkuk Commentary is the most well-preserved OT Commentary among those found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Apostle Paul used one verse from Chapter 2 in Rom 1:7 to introduce the doctrine of Justification by Faith rather than by works. Martin Luther’s interpretation of this verse totally reoriented his thinking and contributed to the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Before we find out the verse that changed the History of the Church, let’s look at the two complaints of the prophet Habakkuk and God’s answer that changed the prophet’s perspective.
I. Habakkuk Complaint # 1 (Vs. 2-4)
Habakkuk complained to God that, despite repeated prayers
to God regarding the violence and injustice, God didn’t listen to his cries. He
complained that the Department of Justice and the Supreme Court of that time
were broken by letting the wicked escape punishment, and the righteous were
constrained by the wicked. On top of that, strife and conflict among people
kept increasing. Habakkuk thought he was justified in his complaint.
Do
any of these complaints of Habakkuk ring a bell in our times? What do you think
about the justice system in our land? Do you feel angry and even hurt when you
see the wicked people having their agendas fulfilled and the righteous suffer
from their wickedness? You may feel justified in complaining and challenging
God over the state of our country and the world. But wait, let’s find out what
God has to say to the prophet regarding his complaint.
II. God’s Answer To Habakkuk’s Complaint”
Look at the nations and watch—and be
utterly amazed. For I am
going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” The prophet
might have thought that God was finally going to do something. But he didn’t
know that the new thing was the increased misery for God’s people. God was
going to send the cruel Babylonians to invade Israel and Judah and take people
as captives to their land of Babylon.
Think
about God’s answer for a moment. You are praying to God to alleviate wickedness
and the evil plunging our nation into confusion and chaos. You heard God
saying, behold, I will do something about it. By the way, I will send your
enemies to further inflict trouble on the existing trouble you are already
enduring. How would you receive such an answer from God?
III. Habakkuk’s Complaint # 2 (1:12-17)
This time, he gained a proper perspective of God’s
holiness and his everlasting presence in the affairs of humanity. He complains
again about God’s tolerance toward the wicked and his un-involvement even while
seeing the outrageous evil against God’s righteous people. Unlike the first
time, he positioned himself to see how God was going to destroy the wicked
people.
Instead,
God answers him to write down these profound words for all generations. We have
read the words written by the sixth-century prophet again on this 8th
day of February 2025. Those profound words that changed many people’s lives
are: The righteous shall live by Faith.
Another
assuring proclamation must have calmed the prophet, i.e., “The LORD is in his
holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” This was as though God
was saying, I got this; I am in control. You be silent, and so is everyone on
this planet before me. Now, prophet Habakkuk has nothing more to complain to
God; instead, he offers praise in prayer.
IV. A Prayer of Praise and Faith Amid Despair and
Hopelessness Chapter 3
May this profound prayer of praise be
ours in our despair and hopelessness. “Lord, I have heard of your
fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time, make them known; in wrath, remember mercy.” Here is how we can
overcome the most difficult circumstances and go on to live a life that would
bring glory to God.
This is how we overcome our
depression, discouragement, and lack of resources. Even if nothing seems to be
working our way, everything is challenging and unmanageable; we can live by
trusting in God when we know that our God is loving, holy, and mighty in power.
Whatever you are going through
today, don’t lose hope in God. You will come through by His help. Like
Habakkuk, we can turn our complaints into a time of praising God for His
marvelous deeds.
On this snowy morning, let me close
this beautiful prayer and praise of Habakkuk in Chapter 3:17-19“Though the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no
sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my
strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a
deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” (The Message).
