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| Facing God |
'Then if my people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.' 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT)
How many of us dare to face God? On the day of reckoning, many of us will have tremendous trepidation even fear when we have to stand before God. What will be our attitude? What posture can we take?
Some of us have entered into the presence of God through prayer, some through meditation and others through our interaction with nature and creation. Almost all of us do so with genuine humility and contrition. However in the three chapters of the Book of Habakkuk we see a dialogue between a prophet, a holy man, with God in a confrontational manner with some air of defiance. Habakkuk questioned God.
'How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save?
Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds." Habakkuk 1:2-3
There is much anxiety and perplexity in Habakkuk crying out, overwhelmed by unanswered questions. He was living in Jerusalem at the end of the 7th Century BC in an age of moral decline and spiritual decline. There was an impending doom as the Babylonians' conquest of Israel and the sacking of Jerusalem was imminent. Yet God seemed remote and did not take any action. Habakkuk complained, "Why aren't you intervening, God?"
This 'to your face' dialogue went on over the two chapters with God delivering a series of woes and rebukes. Finally Habakkuk changed his tone and learnt to keep silent in the presence of God.
'The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silent before him.' Habakkuk 2:20
Jonathan Lamb in his 30-day devotional on Habakkuk wrote 'The word silent is onomatopoetic in Hebrew, like our word, hush: be silent, stop all the arguments, all the arrogant assertions of human power, the efforts of human glory, the petty ambitions. It is a call for reverence, because the one who is speaking is the Lord of the Universe.' (Ref 1)
When we face God, stand in His presence, do we realise that we are facing the God of the Universe?
In a sermon on 19 Feb 2023, Rev Peace Choi of Charis Methodist Church made 3 points on Habakkuk's final humility in relating to God even in the face of impending doom and disaster. There was a change of tone in Habakkuk's approach; this time a more humble approach to God, not confrontational. When we face difficulties, perplexities and problems,
- Plea for God's mercy, be humble enough to plea for God's help.
- Recollect God's goodness
'Lord, I have heard to your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.' Habakkuk 3:1-2
'But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from His sanctuary, my cry to Him reached His ears.' Psalm 18:6
- Proclaim God's greatness
- Recollect God's glory, what He has done in your life.
'His glory covered the heavens and His praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise. He stood and shook the earth; He looked and made the nations tremble.' Habakkuk 3:3a,4 and 6a
- Pledge to God's praise
- Recollect God's provision
'Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my saviour. The sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights.' Habakkuk 3:18-19
In the face of God, a penitent Habakkuk accepted that the will of God will prevail,
'Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the sheepfold and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.' Habakkuk 3:17-18
How do we face God? When we face life's uncertainties, when everything is stripped away, can we respond to God with a prayerful expectancy? This prayer-hymn, 'If My People Will Pray' composed Jimmy and Carol Owens will help.
If My people
which are called by My name
shall humble themselves,
shall humble themselves
and pray.
If My people
which are called by My name
shall seek My face
and turn from their wicked ways
Then will I hear from heaven
then will I hear from heaven,
Then will I hear
and will forgive
forgive their sin.
If My people
which are called by My name
shall humble themselves,
shall humble themselves
and pray.
I will forgive their sin,
I will forgive their sin,
I will forgive their sin,
and heal their land.
shall humble themselves,
shall humble themselves
and pray.
If My people
which are called by My name
shall seek My face
and turn from their wicked ways
Then will I hear from heaven
then will I hear from heaven,
Then will I hear
and will forgive
forgive their sin.
If My people
which are called by My name
shall humble themselves,
shall humble themselves
and pray.
I will forgive their sin,
I will forgive their sin,
I will forgive their sin,
and heal their land.
Lionel
Ref 1: Jonathan Lamb with Elizabeth McQuoid, 30 Day Devotional - Habakkuk Inter-Varsity Press, 2018
