welcome to gospel in life thank you for joining as we go through this special series of meditations by Tim Keller trusting God and difficult times this new series is meant to encourage you to trust God more deeply and to meditate on his word and what it promises to give you strength and hope in difficult times and now here’s today’s meditation I’m gonna read from the first chapter of the book of Habakkuk Habakkuk says how long O 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 wrong Oh Lord are you not from everlasting my God my holy one we will not die now Habakkuk is a prophet and he’s seeing everything go wrong in his society he’s seeing everything go wrong in his culture he sees his nation not only declining morally and socially but he sees a threat coming he sees military threat coming he sees just disaster and he complains to God about it but then he does something about it now here’s what I want you to see first of all it says he says why do you make me look on injustice how long must I cry out to you and you do not listen so at this point he’s actually saying everything seems to be going wrong and you don’t seem to be doing anything right about it and even says why am i fated to be here in the midst of such evil times my father my grandfather things were so much better why me so he’s really crying out but the other thing that he does on the other hand is he at the same time he says but my God my Holy One we will not die so what I like about him he’s extraordinarily honest in fact 1 Oh Susman commentator says that when Habakkuk says Oh Lord are you not from everlasting there’s a an expert in Hebrew that says this is an insult this is a way of saying I thought you were infinite I thought you were you that you were infinitely good and wise how could you be letting this happen so it’s an insult so on the one hand he is being incredibly realistic emotionally but on the other hand he says but my God my holy one we will not die I would like to put this in front of you Habakkuk is so much more honest than most religious people are most villages people feel like I can’t cry out like that I can’t lament I can’t I can’t express my my anger and unhappiness to God I’ve got to be really kind I’ve got to really be respectful he’s more honest than most religious people but he’s way more faithful than a secular person there’s no indication that he’s saying well I’m not gonna trust a God like this he says no my God my Holy One we will not die and I suggest to you that in times like we’re in right now there needs to be an honesty we can’t just say oh the Lord’s working and everything and I’m sure he’s doing good things here and is is gonna make us all stronger now let’s admit this tragedy there’s death there’s a long term hurt and pain let’s be more emotionally realistic the way he is but on the other hand let there be no one saying well I just can’t believe in a God like this he is way too faithful for the secular he’s way too honest I think for the religious but he is our model and whenever he says why do I have to see these awful times he reminds me of Frodo in Lord of the Rings who says to Gandalf I wish it need not have happened in my time of course all this tragedy and of course Gandil says so do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide all we have to decide is what to do with the time that has given us that’s what Habakkuk is doing that’s what we should be doing and now here’s Tim and Kathy killer for a short time of qat on today’s meditation it’s really extraordinary the number of times and places in the Bible that God’s people are invited to wrestle with him and to question him and even to doubt him like Thomas did that seems pretty unique in the world religions that the faithful are still permitted and not just for me but encouraged to question God rather than saying I believe whatever you do is right what do you think that this actually that’s a great question and an answer is not immediately jumping to my mind but I would say a couple things first this first is the fact that there’s so many major figures like Jeremiah by the way also calls God a a deceptive Brooke like a Brooke that’s going to give him water and then runs dry he does that in Jeremiah 12 and you got Jobe of course and you’ve got a backup here and you’ve got Jacob literally wrestling with God in Thomas you’ve got Thomas who’s disciples that they ascension that’s right that’s right well one thing is true and that is these things really happened you don’t you don’t make up stories in which your your your leaders in the faith are calling God names and showing doubts secondly it’s because we have a God of grace it’s because we got a God of grace I mean Habakkuk and I probably should have in my in my little reflection approach should have brought this out when Habakkuk says my God my holy one that’s covenant language it’s in the in the burning bush when God appears to Moses he doesn’t reveal himself just as Elohim God he says I will be your you will be my people and I will be your God and that’s the language of intimacy I can say you’re my caffeine your mind Tim but nobody else has the right to say that to us and so this is the language of grace and of relationship and and therefore because he’s a God of grace because he’s a God who says I’m faithful to my people not because they’ve got their their eyes dotted their t’s crossed I’m faithful not because they always say it just right I’m their God because I’m a God of grace and I don’t think other religions who believe that you basically you’re you’re saved by your good works and by your observances and so forth can accentuate God like that make it give us a God like that so I think that’s the reason if you found today’s meditation encouraging please subscribe below and be sure to share it with a friend to encourage them as well and if you’d like to hear more teachings by Tim Keller you can listen to new sermons every week at gospel and life.com slash podcast thanks again for watching gospel and life [Music]