How long is God going to wait before He intervenes? The question is thousands of years old. And the reaction can be shocking: perhaps He will not intervene at all—at least not in the way we expect. But there is hope.
Habakkuk is no longer sure he understands anything anymore. Evil prevails in his time. And it seems that God is not doing anything about it. But the prophet does not give up because God says: “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).
This was the context and the Bible passage that served as the basis for the divine service in Worcester, South Africa on 5 December 2024. “People in our time feel very similarly,” said Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider, before going on to ask: “What can we learn from the prophet Habakkuk today?”
When God fails to react
“Violence prevails around the world. Evil deeds are committed everywhere. The less honest you are, the richer you become,” said the Church leader as he described the situation. “Often we do not understand, and we ask: “Oh God, how long will You tolerate this?”
“So many brothers and sisters, members of my own family, and even I—we suffer. And many times, God answers our prayers. But as soon as one problem is solved, another comes to take its place,” sighed the Chief Apostle.
“At times we are disappointed, we are tired.” But when that happens, the important thing is: “Do not stop talking to God! And then the answer of the Holy Spirit will come.”
Speaking, listening, trusting
“The Holy Spirit responds to all of these questions with this prophecy: Jesus Christ will come again soon in order to save humanity.” But he will only take to Himself those who remain faithful to Him.
“What is important in order to remain faithful and loyal to Him?” asked the Chief Apostle. He then went on to list the following points:
- “Do not stop talking to God in your prayers, in your thoughts. Even if you do not agree with Him, even if you do not understand Him, just keep talking to Him. You can complain. You can be very tough with Him. He will accept this, but do not leave God. Always talk to Him.”
- “And then let us listen for His answer. Listening to God involves more than merely coming to the services and listening to the sermon. Listen to God, even when He tells you something you do not like. He never said the church would triumph. He has always told us this would be a very difficult time. It is important to understand the true message.”
- “And then we must also trust in Him and in His word. Just as He told the prophet here: ‘Don’t worry. I am faithful. I do everything I say I will do. And even if it takes some time, trust Me.’ We do not need to wait for any other signs to show us that the Lord is going to come. The Lord will come at a moment that we do not expect. But He will fulfil His promise. That is for sure.”
Developing, shining, uniting
“Instead of complaining, it would be better of us to make use of the time we have been granted in order to prepare ourselves for the return of Christ, “ said the Chief Apostle, before going on to list the following as examples:
- “I have to change. I must become more and more like Christ. And no matter what is happening all around me, nothing is going to change my resolve!”
- “Let your light shine wherever you live! The people around you are discouraged and dispirited. They see so much evil. Give them hope so that they can still believe in humanity and say, ‘Yes indeed, it is still possible to repay evil with good.’”
- “No matter what happens in this world, let us be aware that we cannot make it on our own. We need to stay in the unity of God’s people. Let us work on this unity. Let us remain one in Christ!”
Those who remain faithful and true to God in all aspects of life, and who prepare themselves for His return, will experience this: “God is present in His temple. He is still active in the work of salvation, in the church of Christ, and in the apostolate. God is present in my life. Christ is present in the fellowship of His own. And then the day will finally arrive: Christ will come and will lead us into His kingdom together.”
Photo: NAC Southern Africa