Unfair?! An Introduction to HabakkukShembull

Someone, or to be honest anyone, could well ask God where the justice is when they see violence all around. No society on earth is immune to suffering. Understandably, Habbakuk felt that God's Babylonian response to Judah's violence was like a cure that's worse than the disease. I know many of us have felt similar about lockdowns in response to Covid. Polish people in WWII must have wondered who were worse between the Nazis and the Soviets. Habbakuk wondered whether God's solution was worse than the problem. Habakkuk wasn't like Pilate, who asked Jesus what truth was and didn't wait for His answer. He waited for the Lord to reveal it to him. The core of God's answer is that 'the righteous will live by faith'. This powerful truth is unpacked in three entire new testament books. Romans is about how sinners like us can become the righteous. Galatians is about how we should live having been made righteous. And Hebrews is about the faith that helps us live righteously. Yes, there's a lot of violence in the world. But there's hatred in our hearts, and we need God to make sinners like us righteous. Then we need to live lives defined by love. And we need faith in God that He will vindicate us, in His perfect timing, over the violent bullies who seem to get their own way in the world today. 'God Almighty, we acknowledge that the heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. Please change us by Your Spirit, for Your glory, amen.' Do you live by faith?