God's Ways Are Not Our Ways

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. Habakkuk 1:5

What I love about Habakkuk is the humanness we see when Habakkuk questions God in chapter 1, verses 2-4, saying:

"How long O 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 wrong? 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."

Does this express how you feel when you watch violence and wickedness all around you? Do you wonder why God doesn't intervene? Do you ask why he doesn't come rescue us? Well, if you have never felt that way, good for you...but in all honesty, I can say that I have asked similar questions. Don't get me wrong...I trust God knows best. And yes, He can offer peace even in the most tumultuous of times. Still, I see the wicked harming people and getting away with it...and it angers me. And many times they don't get the punishment that they deserve. Or should I say the punishment I think they deserve? But then....well, I have to stop for a moment and think that I didn't get the punishment I deserved either. Hmm...not a pleasant thought, comparing myself to the crazy criminals out there. As humans, we expect some kind of justice here on earth, and unfortunately, that doesn't always pan out. There are always loopholes and tricky scheming lawyers who know how to manipulate the system. And many victims walk away feeling that justice has not been served. Ahh...but God is the final judge. We must remember that.

Okay, so I got sidetracked from the original verse I posted at the beginning. If I were to put this separate from the events surrounding it many would take it as a word for today. This was a word to Habakkuk about a specific event. But you know, it may also apply to today. God was going to use an unconventional method for dealing with the situation at hand. And Habakkuk didn't seem too pleased about it. Funny how God is always using things we would never expect, and doing things in uncommon ways. We pray for one thing, expecting it to work out a particular way and He does something entirely different. And guess what. It always amazes us when we look back on how it was accomplished. God's ways are not our ways. So why does this surprise us? And sometimes what we think we want or need isn't always the case. But God knows all that. He sees the bigger picture. We just need to trust that no matter how things look, He's got it under control. Not always an easy thing to do when you're in the midst of a battle, is it?

Years ago a friend of mine used to sing a song "He'll Do It Again" and it spoke about how God had worked in times past, and how we could trust that He would do it again. As I said, it may not happen in our timing or in our way of thinking, but God will get us through anything we encounter when we learn to fully rely on Him. He can offer us peace when our world is filled with turmoil. He can give us strength when we feel weak. He can encourage when we feel discouraged. He can offer hope when we have no hope. God is good like that.

In closing, let me remind you that God loves you. And He is the giver of good things. Does this mean that our life will be one big bed of roses? Well, maybe...if we consider that roses have thorns as well as that beautiful flower. We will face trials and tribulations in this life. Those things can grow us and mature us into the man or woman God desires us to be. And that my friends, is what it's all about...becoming a vessel that God can use for His glory.