Frustration
O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save. Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; there is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore perverse judgment proceeds. – Habakkuk – 1:2-4 NKJV.
God’s Reply: Look among the nations and watch – Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you. For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans…. – Habakkuk 1:5-6a NKJV.
O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction. – Habakkuk 1:12c NKJV.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. – Romans 8:28 NKJV.
Can you imagine how upset you would be if a cellphone tower were to be erected in front of your home, on your property, without your permission? It has happened to a family in Brookhaven, Long Island. On the plus side, they do have good cellphone reception. On the negative side, their property value has decreased drastically, and they have a huge eyesore in front of their home. From reports available, it appears that NextG Networks constructed the tower without the necessary city permits, and other things required by the City of Brookhaven. Lori Di Marco tried to obtain information from NextG and they said, “FCC…granted them the right to do so and provide communication service, it was a public necessity.”
Cellphone companies are beyond the reach of most private individuals having to deal with them. We found that out in our little community when AT&T suddenly dropped a cell tower that provided service to our area. The FCC was of no help in response to our pleas for help. I hope and pray that the Di Marcos have more success with their problem than we did. Most of us in our community were forced to switch to another cellphone provider, which was costly, and resulted in some of the features of phones like the Blackberry to be inoperable.
The word that comes to mind in having to deal with situations like these is, frustration. It is frustrating to know that you are in the right, but it does not seem to matter to anyone that has the authority to do something about it. Habakkuk was beyond frustration in his situation. Violence and corruption surrounded him. Everywhere there was dishonesty, and a lack of Justice. Habakkuk appears to be on the verge of losing his faith, until God speaks. What God tells him is that He, the Lord God, is at work with a plan to bring relief to His people.
In our own lives, it is easy to look at all of the injustice, all of the evil that is going on around us, and to want to just give up. What we need to remember is that God is at work. We may not see Him working, we may not understand how He can do anything to help us, but He has a plan. What is God’s plan? For those who love God, and persist in following Him, God plans to bring good out of the bad. God plans to bring good out of the injustice. God plans to even bring good out of the evil that we have experienced.
So, if you are experiencing frustration because of all the bad things that have happened or are happening in your life – remember God loves you (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Not only does God love you, He is at work with a plan to bring good out of all of the bad that has come your way.
(For those who love God, and persist in following Him, God plans to bring good out of the bad.)