2 O Lord, I have heard of your renown, and I stand in awe, O Lord, of your work. In our own time revive it; in our own time make it known; in wrath may you remember mercy.
3 God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. 4 The brightness was like the sun; rays came forth from his hand, where his power lay hidden. 5 Before him went pestilence, and plague followed close behind. 6 He stopped and shook the earth; he looked and made the nations tremble. The eternal mountains were shattered; along his ancient pathways the everlasting hills sank low.
10 The mountains saw you, and writhed; a torrent of water swept by; the deep gave forth its voice. The sun raised high its hands; 11 the moon stood still in its exalted place, at the light of your arrows speeding by, at the gleam of your flashing spear. 12 In fury you trod the earth, in anger you trampled nations. 13 You came forth to save your people, to save your anointed.
16 I wait quietly for the day of calamity to come upon the people who attack us. 17 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, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.
THOUGHTS:
I write this by the glow of my laptop in the darkness of my observance of "earth hour". Having flipped all the breakers in my house, the only noise is the purring cat beside me.
The first two chapters of Habakkuk are prophetic dialogue containing complaints against God for continued injustice in the world and God's response. The author is trying to reconcile God the all powerful, compassionate, and caring with the world in which the dominant imperial power slays nations without pity and seizes homes from proper owners. Why is God silent? How does a person of faith deal with this situation? How do we deal with this situation?
Then we come to the closing chapter: the psalm/song of prayer you see above, framed by notes about instruments and musical style. What does it say? It's affirms faith in God. The author expresses awe at what God has done in history, during times long gone. Habakkuk pleas that God intervene in modern times -- remembering divine compassion and acting on it!
Can you relate?
We live in a world where too many lives are lost to violence.
We live in a world where too many people are hungry.
We live in a world where too many live in fear.
We live in a world of injustice, just like Habakkuk did.
We boldly pray that, either by divine mystery or by working through us, God will make things right!
Habakkuk's song of prayer continues with a vivid image of God coming toward Israel from the south, and of nature taking note!
After this image, Habakkuk returns to the present ... to waiting patiently for God while rejoicing in trust and hope ... to relying on God for strength ...
PRAYER:
God, you are our refuge in times of trial. We place our hope and trust in you. Lead your people to care for the hungry, lonely, scared people out there -- for we can relate to being hungry, lonely, and scared. We wait patiently as you move in mysterious ways. We pray and act boldly and faithfully as your people. In Jesus name, AMEN.
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LCM at GMU has been recognized as a Reconciling in Christ organization for taking a stand as being opening and affirming of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as ... pretty much everyone (see http://gmu.edu/org/lutheran/affirmation.html). We invite you to stand up for the LGBTQ community this week during Pride Week at GMU. Join in spreading God's love, join us for worship on Wednesday in the Bistro at 7:47pm, and check out the Pride Week calendar at http://pride.gmu.edu/
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These devotions are provided by Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University . Feel free to share them with your friends! For more information on our ministry and events, see http://gmu.edu/org/lutheran
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