Stand (Habakkuk's Prayer)
In the first two verses of Habakkuk 3, we can read the beginning of his prayer... a prayer that, to me, resonates that hearts of many believers today:
“Lord, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord.
Renew them in our day,
in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy.” - Habakkuk 3:1-2 NIV
Habakkuk looked around at the world around him. He saw the pain and the injustice. He saw strife, violence and anger, and wondered why God seemingly did not hear His prayers, seemingly remained silent, seemingly did nothing.
And today, we can find ourselves wondering these same things... wondering where God is in the midst of the flood and rain... in the midst of the sorrow and pain... in the midst of the violence and shame... somehow missing Him whisper “I am with you.”
We wonder why other religions, like Islam, Buddhism and Mormonism, have gained momentum and gained traction in a nation founded on Christian principles and values.
We wonder why we continue to allow our leaders to lead us in a direction away from what we know are godly paths.
We remain silent at the injustice around us. We allow the voices of the few to bully and push agendas that are contrary to what is good, and pure and right.
And then we stand and wonder, in our own darkness, where God is and why He hasn’t shown Himself.
Today we can say the same prayer as Habakkuk’s prayer: We have heard of Your great fame, O Lord. We are in awe of what we read and what we have heard about You and Your great deeds, but we have never really seen them. So, we want you, O Lord, to renew those deeds and make known Your fame in our day and time... and please Lord, as you do, remember mercy in Your anger and wrath.
And then, as we pray, we too must stand and be seen and heard... allowing God’s Word, as it did in day’s of old, to fill our hearts, our minds, our voices and our actions so that He can be seen and heard and known among the nations… and among our neighbors
We must stand for justice. We must stand for what is good and pure and right. We must stand even if we stand alone (knowing that we’re never alone.)
We must live and lead with love, and make known His great fame in this day and time.
Keep the Faith... Carpe Diem
