Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4 (NRSV)
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Chapter 1The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw. Verse 2O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not save? Verse 3Why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. Verse 4So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous- therefore judgment comes forth perverted.
Chapter 2I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint. Verse 2Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. Verse 3For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. Verse 4Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.
Devotion
Support us, O Lord, all the day long of this troubled life, until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes and the busy world is hushed, the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then, Lord, in your mercy, grant us a safe lodging, a holy rest, and peace at the last, through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Portions of this Funeral Prayer, from the Book of Common Prayer accompany our God Pause reflections for this week)
Support us, O Lord, all the day long of this troubled life...
Feeling abandoned by God, or feeling that God isn't hearing our pleas for help or assistance is part of the human experience. I've been there; most likely you've been there, too. I've visited hundreds of people who have felt that God is distant or, even worse, aloof. But look at what the prophet Habakkuk does. He takes God to task, then moves to the watchpost on the ramparts to watch for the signs of God's presence. Habakkuk's faith, given to him by God, propelled him to be on the watch. Even when it seemed as if God had fallen silent, God's promises remained. In the midst of the chaos in the barricades, in the watchposts, in the parts that are under siege, God is still there.
Prayer
Let us pray,
Stir up your power Lord God and come. The whole world groans with violence and pain, waiting for your peace. Stir us up, that we may be agents of your peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.