A God Who Listens
“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? … I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. Then the Lord answered me …” — Habakkuk 1:13; 2:1-2
Habakkuk was frustrated. Since Judah had become a vassal state of Egypt, he had seen cruelty, injustice, and violence destroying the righteous. His belief that God’s rule ensured the wicked would be punished and the righteous would prevail was being challenged. Habakkuk began to wonder if a wise God really did govern the world, causing him to reach out in desperation for answers…fully expecting God to be angry because of his questions. Instead, he was met with patience and an answer that God would intervene soon.
What is our response when it appears God isn’t intervening in our circumstances? Do we take our unfiltered questions to God and wait for a response? Or do we let the shock and cruelty of the situation cause us to break off communication with Him?
If we are honest, like Habakkuk, there are life situations that undercut our belief in a good God. For example: What about the expectant mother carrying her first child to the final weeks of pregnancy, only to miscarry? What about a betrayal from a co-worker, a child, or a spouse? What about a relationship that doesn’t work out, a career derailed through office politics, a failed business venture, or a rejection letter from a preferred colleague?
Do we do as Habakkuk did? Do we approach God and ask why?
Habakkuk’s story demonstrates that God can handle our tough questions, that He listens, responds with encouragement, and intervenes in His timing. As Christians we must not allow the severity of the situation break our communication with God, but instead compel us to approach Him, making our complaints known, and wait with the expectation of an answer. Even His delayed intervention will not disappoint.