How Long, O Lord?

Read Habakkuk 1:1-11.


The prophet waits and waits and waits for the word he has spoken to come to pass. He realizes that he might not live to see it happen, that he may never know if he spoke the truth or simply what he thought he heard. "How long, O Lord?" How long?

The old man walks the Temple courts each and every day. He has been as faithful as he knows how to be, and he has been promised—in a way that makes others laugh at him—that he will not die until he sees the savior, the Lord's Messiah. "How long, O Lord?" he asks. He knows he is not getting any younger. He feels the stiffness in his hips, notices the dimming of his vision. "How long, O Lord?" How long? And then, at the edge of his vision, he sees a young couple with a baby...

The faithful who have died in the faith, many of them murdered for their faith, now know that the faith they clung to is true. They gather under the altar in the heavenly realm, and they wonder when God will make right what was and is so wrong on earth. "How long, O Lord? How long until you judge?" How long?

The saint who has served Jesus all of her life lies on a bed, too weak to rise, with barely enough strength to speak. The cancer has taken its toll. She has sheltered the traveler, fed the hungry, served the children and worshipped her savior for as long as she can remember. "Just a few more months," says the person sitting by the bed, "and you'll reach 100 years old." She faintly smiles and whispers, "I hope not." She is tired and ready to go home. "How long, O Lord?" How long?

The weary pastor collapses onto his couch at home. He has seen sickness and brokenness that he cannot describe to anyone. Even if he talks about it, it doesn't begin to convey the darkness he sees every day. Even on a good day, there are the concerns for management, for vision, the complaints, the congregational squabbles and the denominational divisions. He listens to the news to once again confront the brokenness of the world. He reads one last email that predicts the demise of his faith. "How long, O Lord?" How long?

The cry of the ages...the hope of the saints....the promise of prophets...

"How long, O Lord? How long?"

And Jesus says, "Just a little while longer..."

Have faith. Embody hope. Be strong and courageous. He has not forgotten you and he is not done yet. The worst thing is never the last thing, for we are a resurrection people, an Easter people!

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