Trending
When I was a kid, I remember going on trips with my grandparents to shop at what seemed like a distant mall. (I think it was about an hour away). If you have ever been on one of these trips with kids, you know what question I began to ask: "Are we there yet?" My grandfather never answered that question with an exact time or by "brushing it off" completely. Instead, he would quip, "Just over that next hill." It turns out that there were lots of hills on our journey, and so when we would not reach our destination, I would ask again, and the reply would be the same: "Just over that next hill."
I have grown out of asking the question "Are we there yet?" about car rides, but I have not grown out of asking it about certain situations I face in life. I think I have asked that question hundreds of times as I have watched the news, dealt with family and personal issues, and walked alongside people through challenges like crisis and illness. I am sure you have asked that question yourself many times over your life because, quite often, it feels as if our lives are a series of hills that we must surmount, only to find another hill waiting for us.
We are not alone in asking the question "Are we there yet?" Throughout the Scripture, men and women have wondered about how long it will take for things like oppression and suffering to end. Habakkuk was one of those people. In the book that bears his name, he wonders in prayer, "How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?" (Habakkuk 1:2 NIV).
If you read through the book of Habakkuk, you will find that the Lord does not provide a concrete answer to that question. Instead, He directs Habakkuk to see and witness His glory (Habakkuk 1:5). As Habakkuk waits on the Lord (Habakkuk 2:1) and places His trust in God's plan (Habakkuk 3:2, 16), at the end of the book, he comes to understand that, even while some questions go unanswered, we can still find hope and joy by placing our trust in God. In these beautiful words, Habakkuk realizes that even though he is on a long and winding journey that is full of difficulty, the Lord is still guiding him and giving him strength: "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights" (Habakkuk 3:19).
Just like a little kid, I will probably still continue to ask that question of how long, and just like a little kid, I am sure I will not get the answer that I desire. But even though we can not have all our questions answered, we can still find value in our journey by doing what Habakkuk did. Let us place our trust in God through Jesus Christ and know that His plans and timing are better than ours. Let us know that He is with us always on this journey and can bring us joy and give us strength for all the hills and valleys we must travel through this life!
Rev. Robert Rice, pastor, Muncy Baptist Church, muncybaptistchurch.org