This devotion is part of the Jesse Tree Advent devotion series.
Scripture reading: Habakkuk 2:1-4
A lot has changed since the time of Habakkuk, but his cry out to God in this passage still rings true for us today. When we see proud and corrupt people put in positions of power, we feel frustrated. We don’t understand why they are rewarded, while righteous, humble people suffer.
So we follow Habakkuk’s lead and march up to the rampart. If we wait at the watchpost, maybe God will notice us, we think. Maybe God will take heed and hear us as we cry out: “Things here are a mess, God! People—good people—are suffering. Yet people who ignore you and act selfishly have power. And you expect us to live by faith? We’ll just wait here until you give us a satisfying answer. Or better yet, until you do something about it.”
So we stand boldly with Habakkuk, waiting.
God answers us with a vision of the end, when God will come in glory with justice, rattling the earth, halting the moon, and rescuing Christ-followers. God tells Habakkuk to write that vision on a billboard so that people, consumed with their busy lives, will see it as they speed past.
It’s our job to stand up at the watchpost and hold this sign, proclaim it, and call others to wait with the same boldness that Habakkuk had.
Prayer
God, what unusual work you’ve called me to. You want me to proclaim your promise and your plan to the people in my life. Would your Holy Spirit help me to do that with love and conviction? Amen.
Grace Claus serves as children's ministry coordinator for a church in the Seattle area, where she lives with her family. She holds an MDiv from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan.
