Trust in Jehovah and Live! -CALL ON JEHOVAH

Read Habakkuk 1:2, 3.  Habakkuk lived during a very difficult and challenging time. He was deeply saddened he was surrounded by wicked, violent people. When would their wickedness end? Why did Jehovah take so long before acting? All Habakkuk saw was injustice and oppression practiced by his own countrymen. He felt helpless.  So in the midst of this dark period, he called on Jehovah to intervene.   Habakkuk may have started to imagine that Jehovah was not concerned.  It seemed that God would not act soon enough. Can you identify with the feelings of this dear servant of God?

Had Habakkuk lost trust in Jehovah?  Did he fail to maintain his faith in God's promises?  By no means! The mere fact that he entrusted his problems and concerns to Jehovah and not to humans shows that he had not given up in despair.  He was obviously troubled because he could understand God's timing or the reason why Jehovah allowed him to be in such a painful situation.  By inspiring Habakkuk to write down his concerns, Jehovah provided us with an important object lesson:  We must not be afraid to tell him about our concerns or doubts.  Indeed, he kindly invites us to pour out our heart to him in prayer.  (Psalm 50:15; 62:8) Proverbs adds the encouragement to "trust in Jehovah with all [our] heart" and not to "rely on [our]own understanding."  Habakkuk likely knew these words and took them to heart. 

Habakkuk took the initiative to draw close to Jehovah, his trusted Friend and Father. Habakkuk did  not just fret over his situation, relying only on his own understanding.  Instead, he prayed about his feelings and worries, setting a good example for us.  Moreover, Jehovah, the Hearer of prayer, invites us to show our trust by prayerfully sharing our concerns with him. (Psalm 65:2)  Doing so will help us experience Jehovah's response-his warm embrace by means of his kind guidance.  (Psalm 73:23, 24) He will help us to know his thoughts no matter what afflicts us.  Our heartfelt prayers are one of the deepest expressions of our trust in God. 

Next time: Trust in Jehovah and Live! - LISTEN TO JEHOVAH

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