Devotional: Faith for Troubled Times

Read Habakkuk 1:1-2:4 ‘“Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith”’ (Hab. 2:4, NASB). We live in troubled times in the world today. In fact, we live in a world that is full of trouble. The election of Donald J. Trump has given rise to an increase in awareness of the divisions in our society today. However, we must be real and admit that our country was divided and full of trouble long before Mr. Trump announced he was seeking to become the president of our country. Mr. Trump’s personality, attitude and some of the things that he says is troubling to many groups in America. Many Americans see Mr. Trump as a person who seeks to divide us instead of seeking to unite us. These perceptions are cause for great concern and fear. America today is much like Judah was during the times of Habakkuk. It seems that Habakkuk is a priest who takes the people’s concerns to God. There is violence and strife in the land (1:2-3). There is an increase in lawlessness and there is injustice (v.4). Many of the people see the wicked taking advantage of the righteous. How will God respond to these concerns? Will God put down the wicked and elevate the righteousness? I hear a lot of Christians expressing their belief that Mr. Trump will not be able to stay in office his full four years. Christians are expecting that God will do something that will bring about the end of our troubles. Sadly, I must inform us that God did not stop the troubles in Judah, and I believe that we too will have to accept the fact that God is not likely to end the presidency of Mr. Trump. We need to accept the fact that trouble may increase instead of decrease (vv. 6-11). This is not what we want to hear. We want to believe that God is going to step in and end the troubles that we face in our lives. However, God tells the prophet that He is rising up the Chaldeans, and trouble will increase in the land? Can you imagine that? Instead of God causing trouble to cease, God causes trouble to increase. Many will ask, how can a loving God allow such evil in the world? Many people turn from God during times like these. However, the prophet receives a remedy for the people of God that will enable them to live in troubled times. God says that “the righteous will live by his faith” (2:4). Why does God require faith instead of simply getting rid of the problem? God has His own plans and the day is coming when Jesus the King of Kings and Lord of Lords will return and put down all trouble. In the meantime the righteous lives by faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb. 11:6, NASB. Prayer: Father in heaven, we pray that you will sustain our faith. We trust you to take care of us in the troubled times of our lives. Amen.