Faithful Pathways: Knowing the Before

Habakkuk…spelling it alone is a challenge. I can think of one sermon from the book of Habakkuk, and it was a week my husband was out of town and the small congregation he served asked me to read a sermon so they didn’t have to pay a fill-in preacher.

Carl had given me an extensive script and everything was on it. I had been through it again and again…all the assigned parts were on the left hand side. EXCEPT…I missed his mistake. He had put the OT scripture reading in the “center” of the page. Sitting in worship, I saw the disaster looming. Not only did I have an OT reading, but I needed a Bible AND I was going to have to find the book of Habakkuk. The stuff of nightmares.

Habakkuk struggles with the stuff of nightmares…our nightmares. His theme, like all Old Testament prophets, is the lack of justice in the world. The conversation H has with God could have been written last week.

Conversation, part one: Habakkuk (see, I’m really good at spelling this…) complains to God that the people of Israel are unjust in their actions and demands that God do something to correct the situation.

Conversation, part two: God says, “I will. I’m going to bring a conquering army in and wipe Israel off the face of the earth. That’ll teach um.”

Conversation part three (and here’s where it gets interesting IMHO): Habakkuk points an accusing finger at God. “The armies you are bringing in are just as unjust as the ones you defeated. Nothing has changed. The unjust are still in power. What’s up with that?”

Commercial break: A collection of sayings is inserted into chapter 2 that pokes at the unjust conquerors. They don’t really advance the story or answer Habakkuk’s question, but maybe they are just fun? Maybe they make Habakkuk feel better about the continuation of the unjust behaviors if he can taunt the unjust with their own demise? Who knows….

The book doesn’t end with an answer, it ends with a prayer. That, too, could be our situation today. Injustice seems to be the strongest force out there. People actually take pride in preserving the practices that keep all people from reaching their full potential. What else do you do but do your little part and pray, pray, pray?

Habakkuk's prayer. The first part of it rehearses the great things we know about who God is and what God has done. The end asserts a deep and abiding trust that God’s justice will be accomplished.

Though the fig tree does not blossom,
and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails,
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold,
and there is no herd in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will exult in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and makes me tread upon the heights.

H had to know the before to know the after. Perhaps that is the path to take this Lenten season. Perhaps we should learn the before so we, too, can pray and act with such extraordinary trust.