S131P2 – The questions of Habakkuk: God’s discernment
Hab. 1:3
Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; there is strife, and contention arises.
Here we have a prophet who stands in a position similar to most of God’s prophets. He has a special connection to the Lord, and he has been chosen to do a great work. Yet, the job is not pleasant on the surface, and he is an island in that work. He has no entourage or support of which to speak. As he stands in that lonely place as the mouthpiece of God, he asks the question asked by Jeremiah and Moses. Habakkuk simply wants to know why God has brought him there and allowed him to see and experience what he has. He wants to know why God has not shielded him from this but has allowed it to be laid bare before him. He wants to know why this has fallen to him.
I have held several positions in leadership, and I have uttered this question many times if only to myself. A situation arises, and someone needs to address it, and the task falls to me. Sometimes the assignment would be the simple result of work duties. My position was assigned that kind of work. Other times, however, it would seem unreasonable to me that I would have to handle the issue. I thought that I did not have the authority, experience or expertise to be the one to speak up, but someone else in authority disagreed. They saw something I did not see and thought I would be the right person to resolve the matter. I would have to defer to their discernment and handle the problem.
As we walk in the work God has for us, we will question why He allows certain things or why He has chosen us for certain tasks. Because our vision is limited, we cannot see the whole picture, so we think our experience does not fit somehow. We will see God withhold that which we think should be released and expose that which we do not want to see or know. In all that, we must trust in his discernment to use us perfectly, which includes how He orchestrates the events of our lives and what He trusts us to handle. Father, give us insight into your discernment when we wonder why You have chosen us and why You take us where we would rather not go.