[201 words]
“O LORD, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear? Even cry out to You, ‘Violence!’ and You will not save…For plundering and violence are before me; there is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous…” Twenty-six hundred years ago the prophet Habakkuk opened his book with these words, but they could have very well been written this past week. Violence abounds and we wonder why.
Actually the why is easily answered: it is because of sin. Sin has ruined the world and death, disease, and violence abound because of it. But there is another “why” that often enters our minds when violence rears its ugly head. Habakkuk wondered it too. Why would God allow such violence to happen? It’s not wrong to wonder such things.
In the end, Habakkuk realized that God will make things right at the proper time. He learned to continue to trust God and realized that his praise for God should also continue regardless of the circumstances (read Habakkuk 3). He knew that he could always draw strength from God, even in uncertain times. We can (and should) too.
Edd Sterchi
Broadway church of Christ
Campbellsville, KY