Thursday 17 May 2018

Is it simple?

Grappling with the conundrum of a loving God and unmentionable suffering, I wonder: is it simply that we live in a broken and corrupt world, the result of sin upon sin upon sin and selfishness, but our good and perfect God, who loves and delights in us, will break through with His kingdom WHEN WE SEEK HIS FACE AND ASK HIM TO REVEAL HIS GLORY?

Reading Habakkuk, Chapter 3, at the moment, with First5. Written in the face of impending invasion and destruction of all that he holds dear, Habakkuk remembers God's glory. He sings this prayer:
"I have heard all about you,Lord.
    I am filled with awe by your amazing works.
In this time of our deep need,
    help us again as you did in years gone by.
And in your anger,
    remember your mercy."


Habakkuk takes his fearful eyes off the impending doom and gazes at God. He recounts God's awesome power:
"I see God moving across the deserts ...
His brilliant splendor fills the heavens,
and the earth is filled with his praise.
His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise.
Rays of light flash from his hands,
where his awesome power is hidden.
Pestilence marches before him;
plague follows close behind.
When he stops, the earth shakes.
When he looks, the nations tremble.
He shatters the everlasting mountains
and levels the eternal hills.
He is the Eternal One!
I see the people of Cushan in distress,
and the nation of Midian trembling in terror.

Was it in anger, Lord, that you struck the rivers
and parted the sea?  Were you displeased with them?
No, you were sending your chariots of salvation!

You brandished your bow and your quiver of arrows.
You split open the earth with flowing rivers.
The mountains watched and trembled.
Onward swept the raging waters.
The mighty deep cried out,
lifting its hands in submission.
The sun and moon stood still in the sky
as your brilliant arrows flew and your glittering spear flashed.

You marched across the land in anger and trampled the nations in your fury.
You went out to rescue your chosen people, to save your anointed ones.
You crushed the heads of the wicked and stripped their bones from head to toe.
With his own weapons, you destroyed the chief of those
who rushed out like a whirlwind, thinking Israel would be easy prey.
You trampled the sea with your horses, and the mighty waters piled high." (vv3 - 16)

God is mighty. Incomparable. Nothing can stand against Him.

And so Habakkuk finishes, declaring his utmost faith in our good God.

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The Sovereign Lord is my strength! (vv 17 - 19)"

So I wonder: is it just this: we are to gaze on and acknowledge God's mighty power in the face of 

Fear is dispelled by a powerful recipe of POWER, LOVE and a SOUND MIND. The power of the Holy Spirit, the love of our Father in heaven, and a disciplined mind which remembers, recalls and relies on God's living word.

Simples, really.