Faith Must Hold in Uncertainty
"For the vision is yet
for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it
will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it
will surely come, it will not tarry." (Habakkuk 2:3)
How could we sing a song of the Lord in a foreign land? Ps:
137:4
The Psalmist sings the exile of the people of Israel to
Babylon in 587 B.C. The lament is born of grief, rage and
loss. The wrenching question sung in the shadow of exile may
puzzle us, unless we remember that up to this point in
history, the faith of Israel had been inextricably tied to a
place: the Promised Land God had given Abraham. Torn from
God's Holy Place, how could they be sons and daughters of
God away from the home he had given?
Our exiles are different, but they are just as real. We grow
into a relationship with God assuming certain things: I know
God loves me because he's blessed me with health, with
family, with talent. What happens when illness strikes?
Divorce and death? When our talents are unappreciated and
ignored? In those situations, we ripped from the ground in
which our faith has grown, and that is terribly difficult.
But, keeping our eyes fixed on God, we, like the people of
Israel long ago, just might find a deeper understanding
waiting, even in the pain of exile.
Please say: Lord, help me use the uncertainties in my life
to grow in faith. Amen!
Author Unknown