If I had to choose between my wife and my putter... well, I’d miss her.
Past and present
In this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by. And in your anger, remember your mercy. Habakkuk 3:2In sport past achievements often give us confidence. If I’ve done it before, so I can do it again. The Old Testament prophet, Habakkuk, takes the same principle and applies it to the spiritual realm. What can give us confidence that God will help us or answer our prayer? One thing is the fact that he’s done it before.
The opening words of this verse “In this time of our deep need” resonated with me. Can you ever remember a year like this one, when all your plans and expectations went out the window? Sport has been decimated, causing many to lose their income and their purpose in life. Without a belief that God is in control, I would struggle to survive.
As the year has progressed people in my country have seen their confidence in the government’s ability to manage the COVID crisis diminish steadily. To be fair, it has taken the government by surprise as much as the rest of us but 41,000 people dying is unthinkable. What we can be sure of, is that it has not taken God by surprise. We need to keep on asking God for wisdom and help in our time of deep need.
The second half of the verse is also important. God is against evil and injustice but “judgment is not his last word; it is his pathway to transformation and salvation*”. We should be encouraged to remember that God is also “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4). That is another reason for us to have confidence.
Take a moment to pray for your country and for the world in the grip of COVID 19.
*G Emerson Minor Prophets 1998