How Long, Oh Lord? Hope in the Midst of Wickedness

Bible Reading

We’re going to have our Bible reading now, so if you have a Bible with you, please turn to the book of Habakkuk. And we’re going to be reading Habakkuk chapters 1 and 2. you’ll be glad to know I’m not doing all of that! So I’ll read chapter one and Kirsty will come up after me and read chapter two. We also do have it up on the screen, so for those of you who prefer to use the screens, or you perhaps didn’t bring a Bible, the readings are up there for you.

Right, Habakkuk chapter 1. I’ll be beginning at verse 1.

The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.
O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
and you will not save?
Why do you make me see iniquity,
and why do you idly look at wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
So the law is paralyzed,
and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
so justice goes forth perverted.
“Look among the nations, and see;
wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
that you would not believe if told.
For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
that bitter and hasty nation,
who march through the breadth of the earth,
to seize dwellings not their own.
They are dreaded and fearsome;
their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.
Their horses are swifter than leopards,
more fierce than the evening wolves;
their horsemen press proudly on.
Their horsemen come from afar;
they fly like an eagle swift to devour.
They all come for violence,
all their faces forward.
They gather captives like sand.
At kings they scoff,
and at rulers they laugh.
They laugh at every fortress,
for they pile up earth and take it.
Then they sweep by like the wind and go on,
guilty men, whose own might is their god!”
Are you not from everlasting,
O Lord my God, my Holy One?
We shall not die.
O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment,
and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.
You who are of purer eyes than to see evil
and cannot look at wrong,
why do you idly look at traitors
and remain silent when the wicked swallows up
the man more righteous than he?
You make mankind like the fish of the sea,
like crawling things that have no ruler.
He brings all of them up with a hook;
he drags them out with his net;
he gathers them in his dragnet;
so he rejoices and is glad.
Therefore he sacrifices to his net
and makes offerings to his dragnet;
for by them he lives in luxury,
and his food is rich.
Is he then to keep on emptying his net
and mercilessly killing nations forever?

I will take my stand at my watchpost
and station myself on the tower,
and look out to see what he will say to me,
and what I will answer concerning my complaint.
And the Lord answered me:
“Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so he may run who reads it.
For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.
“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but the righteous shall live by his faith
“Moreover, wine is a traitor,
an arrogant man who is never at rest.
His greed is as wide as Sheol;
like death he has never enough.
He gathers for himself all nations
and collects as his own all peoples.”
Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say,
“Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own—
for how long?—
and loads himself with pledges!”
Will not your debtors suddenly arise,
and those awake who will make you tremble?
Then you will be spoil for them.
Because you have plundered many nations,
all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,
for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.
“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,
to set his nest on high,
to be safe from the reach of harm!
You have devised shame for your house
by cutting off many peoples;
you have forfeited your life.
For the stone will cry out from the wall,
and the beam from the woodwork respond.
“Woe to him who builds a town with blood
and founds a city on iniquity!
Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts
that peoples labor merely for fire,
and nations weary themselves for nothing?
For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
“Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink—
you pour out your wrath and make them drunk,
in order to gaze at their nakedness!
You will have your fill of shame instead of glory.
Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision!
The cup in the Lord’s right hand
will come around to you,
and utter shame will come upon your glory!
The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them,
for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.
“What profit is an idol
when its maker has shaped it,
a metal image, a teacher of lies?
For its maker trusts in his own creation
when he makes speechless idols!
Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake;
to a silent stone, Arise!
Can this teach?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
and there is no breath at all in it.
But the Lord is in his holy temple;
let all the earth keep silence before him.”
This is the word of the Lord.

The Burden of Injustice

Morning ladies. A few weeks ago I had a week. Do you know that expression? A week. I’d spent some time with some teenagers in crisis. I helped a church figure out how to apply the South African Children’s act to a situation for a family they had met through an outreach. I spoke to another friend who was facing discouragement in her ministry. I heard from a family who had an act of violence occur and then who were not given the support from organizations that exist to support families like theirs.

I continue to watch my own family in America reel as another school shooting has left them navigating the very real fear a school day brings to their child. I saw the harrowing effects of cancer on a child and its family. And then I decided to read the news headlines. Have you ever had a week? It’s hard to witness pain. It’s hard to feel the weight of violence and injustice in our world. It’s hard to bear the sight of children who are sick, hungry, neglected or even hunted. It’s hard to see people constantly running from war and famine, to feel the burden of injustice when people are not brought to account for their wickedness and evil. It’s also hard to watch the wicked not go punished but instead seem to prosper.

If that’s been your experience or your story then, can I say, today you are in the right place. God’s not silent to this pain or unable to answer our questions around it. God speaks. Habakkuk will cry out to God, as we’ll learn this morning, and God will answer him. He has much to say about these issues and it’s my prayer that as we spend time together looking in God’s Word, that his Spirit will minister to your heart and your mind. Let’s pray.

Father God, you know our hearts, our situations and the journey each of us has been on that has led us to be here together this morning. Please allow your Holy Spirit to minister to our hearts through your Word. Give us ears that hear you speak and hearts that are willing to put our trust in you. We pray that we will leave here today renewed in our minds and comforted in our hearts. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Habakkuk’s Message

So, we’re in the book of Habakkuk this morning and I know most of you have probably spent quite a while trying to figure out how to say that word. Always good to say this right at the beginning of the talk so you know I’ve landed on Habakkuk. We can have discussions about that later. But I think it’s one of the most interesting prophetic books in the Bible because of how God actually engages with the prophet Habakkuk but also because we’re not given much in terms of context at the beginning of the book.

Habakkuk starts off with an urgency to his message and we only pick up his context much later, and that’s really important to notice. There’s no geography or history right at the beginning of this book. Come look with me at verse 1.

“The Oracle (or burden) that Habakkuk the prophet saw.” (Habakkuk 1:1)

That’s it. That’s all we’re given. But that actually says quite a bit about what to expect in this book. We know that a prophet is someone who spoke God’s word to God’s people, so we know the burden being spoken of in verse 1 has to do with God’s Word. And we’re told it’s a heavy word, right? It’s a heavy word for those of God, for God’s people and for those who read it.

I want you to take that in for a moment because, flip, I don’t know about you, but I am surrounded by noise. Words are everywhere these days and it can be easy to miss the important words. The amount of information constantly being put in front of us, not to mention the information we seek out through social media platforms is overwhelming. So, this morning ladies, won’t you sit up? Won’t you take note? Won’t you adopt a pose, a pose that’s going to embrace the urgency of God’s word, the weight of having the Living God speaking to you? And expect transformation from what he’s going to say to you. We should not leave here unchanged.

Habakkuk Cries Out to God

So ladies, are you ready? Okay, let’s go to Habakkuk chapter 1 and see what Habakkuk’s crisis is. What motivates him to cry out to God? From verse 2,

“O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
and you will not save?
Why do you make me see iniquity,
and why do you idly look at wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
So the law is paralyzed,
and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
so justice goes forth perverted.” (Habakkuk 1:2-4)

Habakkuk is overwhelmed, overwhelmed by the wickedness that he sees all around him. He’s talking about a community where there’s violence, iniquity, wrongdoing, destruction and fighting. Did you notice how Habakkuk speaks to God? He questions him but both questions that he asked, Habakkuk underpin a knowledge of God of who God’s character is what God is like.

So he first asks, Habakkuk first asks God, “How long will this go on?” Because Habakkuk knows God has the power to resolve the crisis. Did you see that? “How long shall I cry for help and you will not save?” It’s assuming that God has the power to do something but it’s been delayed.

The second thing that Habakkuk does is he knows that evil is inconsistent with God’s character and so he asks, ‘“Why are you not acting? Why do you make me see iniquity? Why do you idly look at wrong?” Habakkuk believes both in the power of God’s act and the goodness of God’s character and that is because of an historical relationship that God had with his people.

Did you notice that Habakkuk used the word Yahweh to describe the Lord in that passage? Yahweh in the English Bible is the word LORD – all in caps and it’s the name that God gave for his people to talk to him. It’s a name that reminds us of great rescue and promise and relationship. So the crisis Habakkuk is having is about having the knowledge that God is good and powerful but perceiving him as delayed in acting to bring about justice. Why is God not acting according to his character and why isn’t he acting now?

Now, this is really important. It’s easy to look at this passage and not see that actually Habakkuk is talking about God’s people. Look back at the passage with me. Don’t forget who Habakkuk is talking about. The heart of the issue is God’s people’s interaction with his Word. He talks about justice and the law. The law doesn’t seem to have power. The law seems to be broken. There’s no justice.

Now remember, in God’s people, God had given them the law. God’s chosen people were rescued out of Egypt and they were given 10 words or law. They were told, “This is how you are to live,” and at the heart of what Habakkuk is having a crisis about is that God’s people are not living according to God’s word. God’s people had these promises spoken to them by God. They had lived in the land God had promised them. God had revealed himself to them his nature and his plan for them but God’s people are being rebellious. They’ve rejected God and we can see this in their behaviour. At the heart of God’s character is his Word. You cannot separate the two out. To know God is to know his Word, and to know God’s Word is to know God’s heart. And here, in this prophet, Habakkuk is crying out to God because they are not being governed or ruled by his Word. Instead they’re just like the nations around them.

It should shock you. It should make you feel deeply sad and just as desperate as Habakkuk. But ladies, isn’t that also true of God’s people today? How many stories have we heard of where churches do not care for the vulnerable and instead take advantage of them? How many stories have we heard where leaders have bullied their congregation and their staff, where widows and orphans are neglected, where there’s very little safeguarding, where financial comfort or gain has ruled our engagement with society around us?

Habakkuk’s problem is not this far off problem. God has always called his community to reflect his godliness and his justice in the world and the church has often fallen short. In some cases, this has led to real, painful experiences that some non-Christians cannot get past and has become a reason for them not to consider the Gospel.

You might be here today reeling because another Christian or church member has been sharp with their tongue, ungenerous in their compassion, stubborn in their service and has deeply wounded you or someone you love. You might be trying to understand how God’s people can be a safe place. You might be someone who has seen injustice in your own church in terms of the way they’ve treated the poor and the vulnerable. You might be here with a heavy heart because you know God, you know his character and you desire his people to reflect exactly who God is.

You might be here with a sense of guilt or shame or disappointment. Maybe it’s been your sin or your struggle. You might be the one who has spoken harshly or gossiped or chosen not to see or acknowledge the poor in your community. How will God act towards us? How does God act towards his people? How will God save his people from themselves?

God’s Answer

Well let’s have a look in verse 5:

“Look among the nations, and see;
wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
that you would not believe if told.” (Habakkuk 1:5)

So God, the Almighty God, the creator of all things, who spoke and there was light. God, the Rescuer, Redeemer, God speaks. He’s not silent or distant. Did you see the language of revelation? “Look, see, wonder, told.” God is going to do something astounding – something no one would believe. Oh, that sounds great. Yay! I can’t wait to hear what his plan is. I’m excited!

Oh no! Verse 6. Read with me,

“For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
that bitter and hasty nation,
who march through the breadth of the earth,
to seize dwellings not their own.” (Habakkuk 1:6)

The thing God is going to do has to do with the Chaldeans, better known as the Babylonians. The Babylonians, at the time Habakkuk was writing, was a superpower of the day. They had conquered the Assyrians, who everyone thought was unconquerable, and they had made a name for themselves. God’s saying, “I’m going to bring justice to my people by sending the Babylonians.”

Okay, well maybe they’re not as bad as we think they are. Let’s have a look in verse 7 and 8. What are they going to be like?

“They are dreaded and fearsome;
their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.
Their horses are swifter than leopards,
more fierce than the evening wolves;
their horsemen press proudly on.
Their horsemen come from afar;
they fly like an eagle swift to devour.” (Habakkuk 1:7-8)

Here is an army of people who march across the earth raiding and kidnapping and stealing. Verse 8-11 makes it very clear these men do not care about God or his character. They’re after their own glory. So Habakkuk reels – I hope you do too – and his crisis deepens. And now he asks a different question. He asks God, how? How could you possibly use these wicked men when you are holy? How could you allow this sort of evil to continue in the world? You’re good. You’re holy. You’re other. How can you use them?

Let’s read verse 12,

“Are you not from everlasting,
O Lord my God, my Holy One?
We shall not die.
O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment,
and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.
You who are of purer eyes than to see evil
and cannot look at wrong,
why do you idly look at traitors
and remain silent when the wicked swallows up
the man more righteous than he?” (Habakkuk 1:12-13)

Habakkuk wants God’s people to be the light and God-honouring community it was meant to be, where there is justice and peace and for God’s Word to rule that community.

Do you all remember Queen Sheba? She was the first ethical tourist. She travelled to meet King Solomon and was left in awe because of his relationship with Yahweh, the God of promise. She praised God after her trip because Israel was a place where justice and righteousness ruled, because Solomon knew God. That’s what Israel was meant to be: God’s people were meant to be that. Nations should come and lean in and, when they did that, discover and declare the greatness of God.

But now, instead of the nations coming to stand in awe of God, to be struck by his justice and his goodness and his rule, instead the nations are coming to destroy his people, to mock God and destroy the temple.

Habakkuk asked God to answer how this could possibly happen. In chapter 2:1, there’s more revelation language. Look with me:

“I will take my stand at my watchpost
and station myself on the tower,
and look out to see what he will say to me,
and what I will answer concerning my complaint.” (Habakkuk 2:1)

God does answer him. God does reveal his commitment to his people and his character. God reveals how he will bring justice back to his own people and still be true to his holiness. And we find that in Chapter 2. The Lord answered,

“Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so he may run who reads it.
For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.” (Habakkuk 2:2-3)

Did you notice the certainty of what’s coming? Habakkuk is commanded to write down what God will do. Make it plain so that it can be read. It has an end date, unlike the promises of load shedding. This will happen. God does not lie. It might seem slow but wait for it. It will come at its appointed time.

God’s Judgment on Babylon

So, what will God do? Well God will judge the Babylonians too. We find Babylon will be judged in that “woe” section we read earlier. “Woes” are the opposite of blessings – so curses – and God reveals that he will curse the Babylonians for their wickedness too. Firstly, God will judge those who have gained through injustice. Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own, who plunders nations and takes their wealth for themselves. (Habakkuk 2:6-8)

Secondly, we’re told that God will judge them for creating security for themselves by hoarding wealth and resources.

“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,
to set his nest on high,
to be safe from the reach of harm!” (Habakkuk 2:9)

Woe to him who’s greedy and unjust.

Thirdly, God will judge them for the violence they have committed for gain.

“Woe to him who builds a town with blood
and founds a city on iniquity!” (Habakkuk 2:12)

Woe to those who are violent.

And God also says in that section that he will judge those who’ve forgotten that everything actually comes from God in the first place.

“Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts
that peoples labour merely for fire,
and nations weary themselves for nothing?” (Habakkuk 2:13)

Fourthly, God will judge those who shame others for their amusement. And in this case, it’s tied to alcohol abuse.

“Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink—
you pour out your wrath and make them drunk,
in order to gaze at their nakedness!” (Habakkuk 2:15)

Woe to those who are drunks and corrupt people to abuse them.

And finally, God will judge them because they worship idols.

“Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake;
to a silent stone, Arise!” (Habakkuk 2:19)

Woe to those who worship idols.

God and Human Sin

The Babylonians will not escape judgment either. God has no intention of letting any wickedness go unpunished. That’s why he is holy, trustworthy and good. Remember, God has always had to create a barrier between his presence and people because of sin. Without something stopping us from coming into God’s presence, we would be destroyed. He will not tolerate sin. We read story after story in the Bible about how God continues to seek relationship with people. He has to make a way for them to approach him without dying.

Do you remember Moses up on the mountain? He tells Moses he needs to hide his face. God has to dwell behind a curtain in the Tabernacle and the temple. Even then, sacrifices and rituals are required before people could even approach a veiled presence of God. And none of this is for mystery’s sake – it was because God will not tolerate sin.

But we are all by nature sinners.

We like to compare our sin with other people’s sin because then it makes us feel good about ourselves we’re not as bad as that person. But in comparison to God? Well, there is no comparison. Which is such a great, good truth because what if God was like us? That would mean he could break his promises to us and we need him to keep his promises to us or we would have to face judgment all on our own. It would mean he wouldn’t care for those who are vulnerable. It means he would not be sacrificial in his love. It would mean that he is not merciful.
His anger would rage uncontrollably and not be appropriate at evil. He would allow wickedness to just continue without judgment. He would not be good.

But God, our God, is Holy. Did you see verse 14?

“For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14)

God will judge and refine his people. The knowledge of God will rule in this world. He would even use wicked men to bring justice, his rule and his Word back to his people. We know from history God did that. He sent the Babylonians and God’s people were judged. And then, in his mercy, a small remnant remained.

But what about the church today? As God’s people, we have Jesus. We’re told Jesus is the Word of God in flesh, who died on a cross and rose, which Habakkuk did not have. Does God still refine his church or was this a once-off historical act for those in the time of Habakkuk?

Well, let’s think about 1 Peter for a moment. 1 Peter 1 says that we’ll be,

“…grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of our faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)

Did you see the aim of that refining? Through realignment, it is for the glory and the honor of Jesus Christ to reflect God’s King. And we’ve seen how God has used persecution to grow his church over the years, to refine it so that it keeps on being about the gospel, about the truth of God and his Word.

There are many men and women who stood for God’s Word at great cost – sometimes their lives – to reflect his Word and his rule in the world. Think about the reformation and how God used a very selfish king to bring about a change in a church that had long forgotten his Word. Think about countries where loving or even speaking the name of Jesus is forbidden. God has placed his Word there and those churches are growing despite the suffering. Think about how God has recently caused churches to re-examine their models of leadership because they had turned away from the head of the church – Jesus, the servant King – who came to serve not to be served.

In South Africa, the church has generally lost a credible voice because it was complicit in the silence, in its silence, and at times, in its wicked advocacy of Apartheid. Churches are often considered uncaring and cold because they do not show the love of Christ to the vulnerable in our communities.

So, will God act to bring his Word, his rule, his justice to his people? Yes. Will he even use evil men? Yes. He used evil men to kill Jesus for our salvation. Remember Acts 2:23? Jesus crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God allowed Jesus to face judgment on the cross at the hands of wicked men to rescue his people. He made a way for justice to go forth and for his people to be safe from the consequences of their sin.

If you’re sitting here and have not considered the judgment of God, please hear the warning of Habakkuk. God is fundamentally just. He will judge. If you haven’t received Jesus’s substitution – his facing of judgment on your behalf, then you will have to face it one day for yourself.

Did you see verse 20?

“But the Lord is in his holy temple;
let all the earth keep silence before him.” (Habakkuk 2:20)

That is a clear picture of what it’ll be one day to face God. There will be no excuse, no words or defence we can say to justify ourselves. There is only one response to how wrong we get it and that is to be silent. Unlike the idol that Habakkuk describes who is powerless, God here is powerful. He’s enthroned. He’s in relationship with the world. Remember the name of God here is in all caps: LORD – the great, rescuing, promise keeping God is right here.

In Acts 13, Paul quotes Habakkuk as a warning to those who think God’s Word won’t condemn them. He says don’t reject Jesus, the one who brings forgiveness of sin. The only safe place on that day will be Jesus. Those who’ve clung to Jesus and have him facing God’s wrath for them. The Bible is very clear on this point. All of creation will one day bow down before God. We will all stand before his throne. In both Romans and Galatians, Paul uses chapter 2:4, “the righteous shall live by his faith” to warn Christians that there is no righteousness apart from Jesus.

Facing God’s Judgment

So, how do you plan to face God one day? By trying to be good enough? Keeping the Golden Rule? Hear the warning of Habakkuk. No one can stand if they have not taken hold of Jesus, if they have not said, “Jesus, please take my place, my sin, my punishment and set me free from the judgment of God.” Because ultimately, God’s promise or his Word on judgment did become flesh. It became Jesus, for those who put their trust in him.

So, don’t leave here today unchanged. What will you do on that day?

But let’s not forget Habakkuk started off talking about God’s people, God’s community, those who claim to know him. What about his people, those who’ve asked God to forgive them through Jesus, the church? I wonder if you’ve considered that word “justice” that Habakkuk uses. It’s a word we hear a lot about at the moment.

Maybe we like to be seen as “woke.” Maybe that word turns your stomach. Sadly, justice is a part of God’s character that many churches have traditionally not reflected and not urged their members to be concerned about. You know, I wonder if Habakkuk came to our local churches, if he would find us caring for the vulnerable, the frail, those needing justice. God’s character, his rule has not changed. Do we reflect our great God, who has always said that the treatment of widows and orphans is the real test of our faith?

That’s not to say that the gospel of salvation should be put aside, because, remember Titus? The knowledge of the truth, the gospel, leads to godliness. Godliness, in this case, is justice. It’s always been an outworking of salvation, rather than a way to earn salvation.

God sent the Babylonians to refine his people and bring his Word back to their hearts. He sent Jesus to die for justice and the Holy Spirit to write his Word on our hearts. There is nothing God will not do to keep his Word, his rule, his truth at the heart of the church because that is how we know God. He reveals himself, his heart, through his Word.

So, if you’re a Christian and you’re part of the church, what is your relationship with God’s word going like? What does his will for your lives look like? Is it lip service or real commitment? Do give yourself time to know God through his Word, to listen to the Holy Spirit challenge you and encourage you in the way that you should live? I’m not talking about ticking boxes. I’ve done my reading today – tick. I’m a good Christian. I’m talking about relationship.

Do you spend significant amounts of time letting God reveal himself to you? Do you allow God to lead you in your life or do you only consider his Word once the wheels have fallen off? Do you consider God’s Word authoritative or do you bend it to suit your agenda? Whose words do you surround yourself with? Whose words do you weight more in your life? Do you seek to know God? Does God’s word, his desire for our community shape your time, your priorities or, like the Babylonians, have you started to look to idols to fulfil you?

Remember those words in verse 18?

“What profit is an idol
when its maker has shaped it,
a metal image, a teacher of lies?” (Habakkuk 2:18)

Idolatry is anything we place our confidence in apart from God. Money, relationships, skills, kids, grandkids, education, health, church – all good things but flawed and false gods if we place their significance above God. God warns us that they will only teach us untruth, lies, if we worship them. False comfort, false security.

In Hebrews 10:38, the writer reminds Christians of Habakkuk chapter 2:4 to encourage Christians to persevere in trusting Jesus through God’s promises, God’s word, God’s truth. Don’t turn away from Jesus. As the Hebrew writer says, the only way to escape judgment is to cling to Jesus because “it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of a living God.” (Hebrews 10:31)

Hope in Jesus

But those who have Jesus, who hold on to him, there is great comfort. There will be a final judgment day, he is coming back. When God will come and judge the world, on that day, you will be safe. There will be rest and peace for you. The world will be ruled by his Word, his mercy, his justice. No hunger, no war, no abuse, no more suffering – a space where we and everyone else will be eternally safe.

Can we take a moment to breathe that in and then breathe it out? So just think about that: the exhaustion I spoke about earlier, the relentlessness of sin in our world, the brokenness that it brings, even amongst God’s people, even in the church. It’s why I asked if we could sing that song “A hymn of Heaven” today. There’s a line that we’re going to teach you that says, “How I long to breathe the air of heaven, where pain is gone and mercy fills the streets.”

What a day that will be! To collectively breathe in a beautiful restored world, to not be ruled by fear or haunted by death. All sin will be dealt with. God can do it. He did do it. To Judah, he sent the Babylonians but he also did it to the Babylonians – that nation who thought they were untouchable in power, who praised themselves for their own might, who would not listen to God’s Word. They are no more. They’re not even a whisper in history. God’s Word will remain, his people will endure and the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.

Let’s pray. Dear Father God, we are tired, worn out by the pain in our world, even in our churches. We are grateful that you are not like us, that you are holy and other, that you will bring justice one day and, in your mercy, allow us to stand before you in Jesus. Help us to not grow weary and turn to idols – things that offer comfort but are actually just lies, temporal hopes.

Help us to trust your Word, to seek your kingdom, your rule, your Word in our communities. Help your church to be a place where the vulnerable are safe and Jesus is held out. We also pray for those sitting here who might not know if they will be safe on that big day. Please speak to their hearts. Call them to you. We long for the day when the pain of this world will pass. Thank you for the promise of that day. Help us to trust and wait for it. It is coming. It won’t delay. In your Son’s precious name we pray, amen.