Questions

Habakkuk 1:2-4

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.

Ah, questions. They’re so great. I wish I could fit the entire book of Habakkuk in this email because it’s such a wonderful back and forth between God and a person who is profoundly struggling with the injustice he sees in the world (I highly recommend finding time this week to read it). In fact, the NIV translation calls Habakkuk’s questions “complaints.” And the beautiful thing about the book of Habakkuk is that God welcomes these complaints!

Habakkuk and God spend three chapters working through a list of things that Habakkuk finds frustrating, unfair, unjust, or unclear. And God doesn’t just tell Habakkuk, “well that’s the way it is; deal with it.” Instead, God actually encourages and engages with Habakkuk’s questions.

What questions do you have for God today? Don't be shy! The Bible seems to imply that he has plenty of time for them.