Habakkuk is a prophetic book in the Old Testament written 600 years before the birth of Christ. It was written during a time when the Kingdom of Israel was marked by great suffering and sin. Habakkuk asks the question right at the start of the book, “how long O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” It perhaps is one of the first times a prophet had the fortitude to so directly question God’s sovereignty and timing. Today, we hear this question again and again and perhaps ask it ourselves--it is a great paradox that God is goodness, yet there is great evil in this world, “why does God let bad things happen to good people.” Or, “if God is a good God, then why is there evil in the world.”
God’s answer to Habakkuk was clear: “Write down the vision clearly and make it plain on the tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”
In other words, God says, “be patient, wait, I am in control, that is sufficient for you, hold close to my vision for the world, it will not prove false, it is all true, even though you wait, even if you should wait for 100 years, no even 3000 years, all things will certainly come and will not delay.”
Or as Jesus said, “keep watch.” The beginning of faith in God is trust in His divine providence and plans. Below is a video of a song taken from the Habakkuk passage.
Disclaimer: The video isn't the best quality, but still profound. There are certainly artistic challenges in this video (I don't know who produced it), but I hope you can overlook these and worship with a truly great song drawn from rich Scriptural text. We edited out certain sections of the video (when it goes black) because they were just too graphic (it still may be a bit intense for some)...nevertheless, I hope you are able to use this video to prepare for Sunday’s worship service as this is truly a great modern-day lamenting hymn that climaxes with HOPE, rejoicing, and anticipation of Final Restoration, Christ’s Second Coming. Can you imagine?
2 comments:
I cant wait!!!!!
This is really a great way to prepare for worship. Having these songs ahead of time builds the excitement of shouting praise to our Lord Sunday morning. Too often I sing and end up focusing on the great music at GRPC and not the words of praise to our Savior. Preparing myself in His Word and with these songs is such a blessing. Thank you for posting them.
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