Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand at my watch
and station myself on the ramparts;
I will look to see what he will say to me,
and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

One of the best things you can say about Habakkuk is that he expected God to answer him. He doesn’t seem to have tried to dictate what answer God would give, but waited expectantly. If only all of God’s people would be that way! There are many reasons we don’t hear what God says to us, and the first, and most damaging, is that we don’t really want to. We think that God isn’t going to give us the answer we want, that He’s going to “cramp our style,” and so we turn our backs on Him and cover our ears. I’m not just talking about people who are in open rebellion here; all too often even “good Christians” act like this. We want God to confirm what we are thinking, to indulge our whims, and when we learn that He’s not like that, we don’t want to listen to Him. God will always give us the best answer, but that’s not necessarily what we want! A step back from that attitude, though still damaging, is the idea that we are totally unworthy of God paying enough attention to us to answer us. That actually has a good bit of logic behind it, but the Bible and experience tell us otherwise. I continue to like Joy Dawson’s statement that “God wants to guide us more than we want to be guided.” That actually applies to both of the incorrect attitudes I’ve just mentioned! The best attitude for hearing God is a commitment to be obedient to whatever He says, before we know what that is. God doesn’t hesitate to speak to someone with that attitude. From our perspective, sometimes answers seem delayed. That point came up not long ago with Daniel. Like Habakkuk, we need to wait expectantly, trusting not only that God will answer, but that it will be the best possible answer, whether it looks like that to us in the short term or not.

This certainly applies to me as much as it does to any believer, and doubly so because I’m a pastor. Not only am I responsible to listen and be obedient in my personal life, I carry that responsibility in this church as well. I am not to ignore what others say, particularly those who have demonstrated spiritual maturity, but as the saying goes, the buck stops here. Just this morning the Lord has been saying something that will require a little personal confrontation from me. I am not to draw back from that, but I must be very careful that I do it in love. I am not to excuse my own inaction because of the failures of others. With my background in the Bible, it should be easier for me to recognize what the Lord is saying than for someone without that background. That must not be a point of pride, but it does increase my responsibility, because as Jesus said, to whom much is given, of him much will be required. (Luke 12:48) I am to expect God to speak to me, and I must be committed to obedience even before I hear.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I’m quick to be defensive and make excuses for myself! I pray that I would flow with Your Spirit, today and each day, speaking Your truth in Your love so that Your will may be accomplished in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!