By Faith We Live In The Midst Of Troubles

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 KJV; 17th Sunday after Pentecost; Troubles come; but, we have faith in the promises of God.

We Will Dance On The Mountain

Habakkuk 3:17-19a KJV; We will not just walk upon high places; we will dance joyfully on the mountain top.

Waiting For Justice

"How long, Lord, must I call for help,

but you do not listen?

Or cry out to you, “Violence!”

but you do not save?

Why do you make me look at injustice?

Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?

Destruction and violence are before me;

there is strife, and conflict abounds.

Therefore the law is paralyzed,

and justice never prevails.

The wicked hem in the righteous,

so that justice is perverted." 

(Hab 1:1-4 NIV)

How long, LORD, must the people suffer at the hands of one another? There are times when we would really like immediate help from the LORD; times when we need a major miracle or two. But, the truth is that God has given us free-will in many areas of our lives and we choose to hurt one another. We choose to put our own wills before the will of God. We choose to put what we want before the good of the whole.

God will answer our prayers. But, beware; the answer may not be what we're hoping for. May God help us to lead gentler lives; lives that do not inflict violence or injustice upon others. May He lead us in His way so that we are not the wicked that others are praying for deliverance from.

May God grant us mercy and give us His peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J

High Places

"The Sovereign Lord is my strength;

he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

he enables me to tread on the heights." (Hab 3:19 NIV)

"The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places." (Hab 3:19 KJV)

It has been many years since I read, "Hinds Feet On High Places," an allegory, written by Hannah Hurnard. The journey of Much-Afraid and her friends Sorrow and Suffering, as they follow Shepherd to the high places, where they will walk as on hinds' feet, takes them through many dangers. It is a long journey. They must have patience. They must have persistence. But, in the end, they (we) will dance in the presence of God. 

This is a familiar story to many of us as we journey daily through many difficult times in anticipation and in hope of the promised land.

Just as Habakkuk prayed and waited patiently for the LORD to deliver God's people from the enemy and the many dangers that surround them; we pray and wait patiently (sometimes not as patiently as at other times) for the LORD to deliver His people from the turmoil and dangers we encounter as we journey through the dark shadows of the valley of death.

The Lord is our strength. With Him we shall walk through dark valleys to the high places where the light does surely shine. 

God's Peace - Pr. J