In the Unknown—God is Still There
I remember in 2020, when the phrase “unprecedented times” was thrown around like candy. It quickly became an excuse for why those in leadership didn’t have answers. It was a reason for why people overreacted or under-reacted to situations. It was used to explain why chaos was running rampant and nobody had control over anything.
Let’s take a look at what unprecedented means. Let’s check our handy-dandy dictionary:
adj. having no precedent
Well, that clearly explained it. Now, most of us know what precedent means. We hear it all the time in legal terms and in writings based on legal situations. Love a good court drama? You’ve heard the word precedent. I love words though and geek out over definitions so let’s look at the definition of precedent.
noun. an earlier occurrence of something similar
That is the first definition, I will mention that there are two more definitions and the second one does refer to legal situations where previous law cases are examples or rules to follow for future cases.
Now, in 2020, when we were “living in unprecedented times,” I would argue that we weren’t. There have been viral illnesses that spread quickly, illnesses that led to death and made everybody afraid for their safety. Just check a history textbook. You will find some. However, our lack of ability to recall these times or know off the top of our head how to handle situations doesn’t make it unprecedented. If anything, it shows us that we need to understand history more. Churchill wrote, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
Sometimes, I feel like as a society, we are on an insanity cycle, repeating the mistakes of those who came before us and never learning from them. It’s like the football coach that keeps calling the same play over and over again because his players aren’t playing it right and they need to play the play right but all the coach has really done is tell the other team what to expect.
How does this apply to the Christian? Well, Christians are ignoring their own history book. Christians today think they’re the first ones to be thinking these big, massive, thought provoking questions. The deconstruction movement leads me to believe that there are many people out there who think they can throw out 94% of the Bible and just trust that the gospels are enough to tell us who God is. As if they’re the first ones to ever struggle with their faith.
We think that America is special and when we see the darkness, the hurt, and the things happening in America we act like it’s the first time this has ever happened. We think we’re special and we’re the first to have doubts. We think we’re so original and clever that nobody else has ever questioned God or questioned His sovereign. (Among other things, America’s history is small but there is plenty of history before America came onto the scene.)
“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
Well, I find comfort in the fact that nothing is further from the truth. I find comfort in the fact that the Bible is filled with stories of those who doubted, those who questioned, those who struggled.
Christians, our problem is our pride and the fact that we think we know better than God.
This week, we are living under a massive barrage of headlines. Regardless of which side of the political isle you fall on, you’re getting breaking news update after breaking news update. Breaking news updates that can get sent directly to our phones. Does anybody remember when news programs would have to interrupt scheduled TV programing for breaking news? Oh, and there would actually have to be an emergency happening in order to interrupt the program. I get breaking news updates over court cases these days. Is it really breaking news or is reporting just trying to stay relevant?
My point is that while we might feel like times have changed and things are crazy, we can go to the Bible and see precedent to the struggles we are going through. There is nothing new under the sun, my friends. God is just as sovereign today as He was when Babylon was overtaking Israel.
We’re also not the first to feel like we cried out to God and only got silence. We’re not the first to question God’s goodness because we don’t understand something. Let’s take a look at the book of Habakkuk.
Habakkuk is a minor prophet, with a very small book in the Bible. It is three chapters—a page and a half in my Bible. This small minor prophet is who I am currently finding comfort in during these times where it seems like everybody is trying to make me afraid of something. This minor prophet is my reminder and comfort that God is sovereign. This minor prophet is exactly who we should all be reading when we start to believe we know better when God is seemingly silent.
In the times of Habakkuk, Israel was split into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. When Habakkuk was (believed to be) written, the Northern Kingdom of Israel has already fallen and Babylon is making its way to taking over the Southern Kingdom. The world as Habakkuk knows it is being overrun and taken over by an evil people. Sure, the Israelites did some evil. They followed other gods. They turned away from God. They built high places. They made sacrifices to pagan gods and worshipped them. They made idols and pretended that those idols brought them out of Egypt. Yeah, the Israelites did some evil. Yet, Babylon was worse. I can almost hear the argument a child would make when defending themselves for their wrong doing because they could point the finger to someone who did worse. We’ve all done this. We’ve all thought it. It’s those thoughts, “Maybe I did do that, but at least I didn’t……”
God doesn’t keep score the way we do. Yes, Babylon was worse but Babylon was going to be used to bring judgement to Judah. Habakkuk was the prophet that was tasked with prophesying it.
Habakkuk 1:13—your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor on those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they?
Habakkuk is pointing out God’s holiness and asking what he doesn’t understand. How could God use a people that were wicked to dole out judgement on His chosen people? How many times have we been unsure or questioned God because we saw others, who were more wicked, get praise or blessing when we were struggling?
Habakkuk even starts off with the hard questions, questions we have all struggled with. Habakkuk 1:2—How long, O Lord, will I call for help, and You will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do not save.
I want to take a second to sit in that last sentence. Yet, you do not save. (emphasis mine) I want that pause in there as we think about it. How many times have we prayed for something and gotten a no? How many times have you prayed for something, believed God for something, claimed his goodness on something and then found ourselves disappointed in the result when the answer wasn’t what we thought it was going to be?
How many times have we put our own plans and understanding on God in prayer, and got mad when God did exactly what He planned instead?
God’s response to Habakkuk is still relevant today. Habakkuk 1:5—Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days—You would not believe if you were told.
The commentary I read points to the judgement God was bringing was so astounding that Habakkuk would have a hard time believing it. God had used Israel to bring judgement to other nations, now other nations would be used to bring judgement to Judah. Even nations, Babylon, that were more wicked than Judah.
Christian, you are not the first person to doubt God and question God. You are not the first person to question whether or not God was good when there was evil and wickedness surrounding them. God can handle our doubts.
In Habakkuk 2, God is answering more of Habakkuk’s questions, Habakkuk is determined to understand, to question. God tells Habakkuk to write down the vision and that it isn’t the appointed time yet. In fact, God says wait for it. (Ch. 2 V. 3) Habakkuk’s time wasn’t the appointed time for the prophecy. That time is coming later. Habakkuk’s prophecy, his questions and answers with God, would be needed later to give strength to others.
God is a God of plans. He has one, and we don’t need to know every single aspect of it. God isn’t asking for our approval of His plans. He knows what is best. In verse 4, God says “but the righteous will live by his faith.” This is a verse that is echoed in the New Testament. Faith looks out to God instead of ourselves.
Pride is when we are looking at ourselves. I told you, pride is our biggest issue. We think we know better than God and when things don’t make sense, we question everything about Him.
When we don’t understand, we are to have faith. When the plan doesn’t make sense, we are to have faith. When we have questions, we can go to God, but we are to have faith. Thankfully, those of us who question and doubt are in good company.
The comfort I find is that God hasn’t changed since the Old Testament. He doesn’t change at all. I find comfort in the fact that I can study the history book and learn from those who went before me. My comfort lies in how Habakkuk ends his book—
Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places.
Even when I don’t understand, I will trust in God and rejoice in who He is. I will not allow the fear of what is around me dictate who God is. God is the same every day, even when we are surrounded by wickedness.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash