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. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted (Habakkuk 1).
In 7th Century B.C the weary prophet Habakkuk raised this cry up to the Lord, asking for the deliverance of his people, and for justice to be rightfully served. Although this request was uttered centuries ago, I have recently found myself questioning the same things that Habakkuk did way back when.
Public defenders; those instilled with the responsibility of standing as the pillars of society and bolstering communities have been repeatedly exposed. The reality of exactly what the world is a who it’s people are is now blatant, captured every day by another candid video or dash camera footage.
It is becoming increasingly easy for Believers to fall into the hole of fierce debate and resentment towards others. It is even easier as a Christian to ask God; why are you allowing this? As more questions remain unanswered, emotions stay unsatisfied and fear builds.
Moreover, as each issue become an even hotter topic, those outwardly responding to crisis seem so belligerent to the core issues, only concerned with defending their personal rights and clearing their conscious of a national ailment that is ripping our society apart at the seams.
We all know the problems, we all heard the opinions, we all have seen the names. And now, it’s time to start proposing solutions. Our unarmed brothers and sisters are being repeatedly gunned down, and we have to do something about it. But, the answer is not to pick up more weapons. The solution will not be found in the murder of innocents- that is the way that they have solved their problems, but we must be better. We have the greatest weapon on our side, and its time to use it.
It’s time to pray.
We are cloaked in the armor of God. No weapons formed against us shall prosper. We must walk in His Word and in His Way, and trust the plan that he established eons before our lives were even a thought on the Earth.
God did respond to the cries of Habakkuk so long ago, and his response is as alive now as it was then;
“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe” (Habakkuk 1).
God has given us greater weapons than any weapons manufacturer can produce. He has backed us with His power, and His sovereignty. This is not to say “do nothing but utter prayers”, rather; “Do everything with prayer”. Protest. Assemble. Make your voice heard, but do it with the Ultimate Purpose in mind. The system is fractured. And in my opinion, the system was never whole, however, my trust is not in the system. My trust is in the Lord, and with that, I look foreword to the deliverance of our people and this nation. SO many aspects need to be addressed, and even more changes made, but without the right kinds of alterations, the cycle will begin all over again.
I am saying simply this: The Christians of my generation need to take it upon themselves bring God into this social crusade. Respond to hatred with love, remember that earthly measures will soon expire and that ultimately God is in control. The three-chapter short book of Habakkuk appropriately ends with praises being lift up to the Lord, with Habakkuk himself gleefully exclaiming:
“yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places” (Habakkuk 3:18)
Be Blessed, #BlackLivesMatter.
