Verse of the Day 5/26

Verse of the Day 5/26

Habakkuk 2:1-2 I will take my stand at my watchpost

    

and station myself on the tower,

and look out to see what he will say to me,
    and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

2 And the Lord answered me:

"Write the vision;
    make it plain on tablets,

    so he may run who reads it.  English Standard Version

Our men's Bible study group recently finished a short study in the book of Habakkuk.  Not much is known about him but he was a prophet in one of the most challenging times for the nation of Judah.  He was a contemporary of Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel (among others) and wrote during a period of spiritual decline in the nation and an impending threat of invasion by the Chaldeans.  He verbalized his complaint to God in prayer, not understanding God's methods or purposes, but trusting none the less and not holding back his feelings.  He prayed and then told the Lord that he would take his post and watch and wait for God's answer.

The Lord responded to his heartfelt prayer and gave him clear instructions that he wanted to have written down clearly that it could easily be passed on to others then and to future generations. Continuing in the passage he writes:

The words were plain and they were preserved.  The statement "the righteous shall live by his faith" were latched onto by the Apostle Paul in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11 and by the author of Hebrews in Hebrews 10:38.  John Piper states that another way to look at the statement would be to say that the "righteous by faith shall live."  The prophet was in right standing before God and lived out his faith, taking his stand on the watchtower.

Habakkuk 2:4   " but the righteous shall live by his faith."  ESV

We are to do the same today.  We may not understand the circumstances around us and the challenges that they bring, but we can know that we can be honest with God including our questions.  Our part is to put our faith and trust in Him; seek Him in prayer; wait on Him and live by that faith.

 

Blessings, 

Mike 

Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,

in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV

Habakkuk 2:1-4
English Standard Version
I will take my stand at my watchpost
    and station myself on the tower,
and look out to see what he will say to me,
    and what I will answer concerning my complaint.
2 And the Lord answered me:
"Write the vision;
    make it plain on tablets,
    so he may run who reads it.
3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
    it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
    it will surely come; it will not delay.
4 "Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
    but the righteous shall live by his faith.