Seventh In Ramah

The book of Habakkuk begins with him crying out to God over the horrible ways of the people. In his 3 verse prayer per the NKJV, he uses the words violence (twice), iniquity, trouble, plundering, strife, contention, wicked, and perverse judgement. You get the idea it might be a bad town and his list is growing longer every prayer. He has a heart about God’s ways and it burdens that heart to watch the news. He’s pleading with God again and again to step in. 

The Lord replies, “Look among the nations and watch – Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you. For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation which marches through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs.” Habakkuk 1:5-6 NKJV

He continues talking about His plans for what we know to be the Babylonian Exile.

Habakkuk responds in such a way that feels a little like, “But God! How can that be? How does that work with what I believe to be true?” 

“You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, and hold Your tongue when the wicked devours a person more righteous than he?” Habakkuk 1:13 NKJV

He lays his heart and beliefs before God, then says, “I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected.” Habakkuk 2:1 NKJV

He doesn’t understand, but even more than his own understanding, he’s convinced God’s ways are higher. He wants God to change his thoughts to His thoughts. 

I’m reminded of a couple of Proverbs. 

For whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights. -Proverbs 3:12 NKJV

Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. -Proverbs 2:3-5 NKJV

You start talking about correction and pride raises a defense. It sees correction very black and white; from bad to good, from wrong to right. We do not like being associated with “bad” and “wrong”. There’s many more shades to correction than that. Habakkuk wasn’t necessarily “wrong”, and he wasn’t “bad” in his thinking. He had a lifetime of experiences, core convictions, and teachings he clung to. Much like us. Yet he still waited with what seems like eagerness for correction. 

Imagine you’ve made a 4-star plate of food. Years of passed down experience, hours and hours of practice, constant learning and sharpening your skills was needed to make that plate of food. It is delicious, it looks amazing, and you are very proud of the work put in. The goal though is a 5-star dish. That means there are things that will need to change. It doesn’t mean the food is bad, there’s just always room for improvement. Its growth. 

Habakkuk was thinking on a good path, just not the path God was on. God could see more of what was going on, He could see into the future. He knew what it would take. He shared His plan with Habakkuk, told him he wouldn’t believe it though it were told to him. Pretty quick turn around time, because Habakkuk came back with all the why’s, how’s, and what’s. He also had a genuine heart for understanding; stood on his watch for “what I will answer when I am corrected”. He was aiming for Habakkuk the Prophet: Expanded Edition!

We will never be perfect. From the new baby in Christ to the life long Christian, we will always have something that can be improved by God. The great equalizer, our imperfections. We will grow in the Lord until the day we die. We know growth to be a beautiful thing, something sought after. This is the heart we should have towards correction. Whether the starting point of correction is bad or good, it can only be made better when we allow God’s change in us. 

I doubt the Chaldeans will ever be headed our direction, but there will be plenty of things we don’t understand. In those times, we need to be open with God, have the honest inquisitiveness of Habakkuk, his heart for change, then stand our watch in readiness for God’s answer. Defensiveness with God will only hold us back. “This is what I thought. Please correct my thoughts to yours. I know they’re greater.” 

How many times have we heard testimonies start with, “I had my plans, but thank God He had His”? God sees all, hears all, is everywhere all the time. Past, present, future. We can trust Him, and trust that who He corrects us into will be better than it was before.