EXPAND TO READ: HABAKKUK 2 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 15): Although I have not done this in a very long time, I am quite guilty of this sin from my youth. When I was younger, I often partied very hard, giving into alcohol in heavy amounts. Not only did I give into alcohol myself, but I also would use it as a tool to have sex with women. Please forgive me for two things in this matter, Father. Forgive me for my premarital sex, but also please forgive me for my use of alcohol to seduce women in my youth. I know it is a “worldly” way of living and it was before I came to faith, but I still feel that I must repent for the mistakes I made in my youth as You remind me of them, such as in this Scripture.
PROMISE (verse 3): I could be mistaken, but this verse sounds very much like a prophecy of the end times. It could simply be the end times specific to Nineveh, but I feel it’s a prophetic look at the true end times as reflected in Revelations. The promise You make here it that “it will certainly come and not be late.” At the start of it You state “though it delays.” I find this contrast funny and odd because us humans in this life will typically see this as almost a contradiction, yet we are looking at it based on our own understanding of a linear timeline. Your timing is nothing like what we know or experience in this life, so I am grateful for the promise You make here that although it may seem to delay based on our perspective, You assure us that it will come when it’s meant to come based on Your timing and not our own.
ATTITUDE (verses 4-5): Father, please help me to change my often-arrogant ways of living. Forgive me for the inflated ego I typically walk with. Help me to be more humble, like Jesus, in my way of living, so that I do not disgrace You, myself, or my family in this life any more than I already have, Father. Teach me what it’s truly like to live with an attitude of righteous humility.
COMMAND (verse 20): This is quite simple, yet I often struggle with it. Your command is for us to be silent in Your presence. I often live with a distracted mind throughout all things, even when I’m doing my quiet time with You. This leads to me hearing far less from You than I should hear. When I am able to “mute” my mind and truly be silent in Your presence at least for a short while, I find the time with You so much more rewarding. Help me to be better at removing distractions, Father. Help me to be better at truly being silent in Your presence when You want me to be.
EXAMPLE (verse 1): Habakkuk shows a great example of patience here. Throughout everything he’s going through and worried about, he says that he will sit and wait for Your response to his woes and complaints. Instead of acting on what the world or his flesh would want him to do, he shows patience and a bit of maturity by sitting and waiting for a response from You for his specific situation. Thank You for this example, Father. I often fail at waiting for You in many of my decisions in this life. Forgive me for this, but also help me to remember that Your timing is always better than my own and if I wait patiently for Your response then I will do a better job at staying aligned with Your will for my life.
*DAILY NOTE: Partying, arrogance, patience…all three of these are issues of my past and somewhat even into my present. I really struggle with patience nowadays. Patience with those around me, but especially with my wife and kids. I see so much in them and I wish they could see it as well, but when they fail or are simply living lazily, I do lack patience and understanding in the moment, which often leads to arrogance and anger. Help me to be better with these, Father. Help me to live more in Your patience instead of my own frustration and irritability. Help me to bless others with the patience You have afforded me in my life more times than I deserve and far more than I likely even know about or recognize. Thank You so much for the prime example of patience, Father. Now I just need to allow You to work in me more so that I can also become a patient man for Your kingdom and glory.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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