“How long, O LORD, must I call for help?  But you do not listen!  ‘Violence!’ I cry, but you do not come to save.  Must I forever see this sin and misery all around me?”

Habakkuk 1:2-3Habakkuk 1:2-3
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Habakkuk Complains to the Lord ² Our Lord, how long must I beg for your help before you listen? How long before you save us from all this violence? ³ Why do you make me watch such terrible injustice? Why do you allow violence, lawlessness, crime, and cruelty to spread everywhere?

WP-Bible plugina

“Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked; but the righteous will live by their faith.

Habakkuk 2:4Habakkuk 2:4
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
4 ; ; . “I, the Lord, refuse to accept anyone who is proud. Only those who live by faith are acceptable to me.” h Only ... me: Or “But those who are acceptable to me will live because of their faithfulness.”

WP-Bible plugin

How do you feel when your neighbor, who doesn’t know God, who doesn’t live for God, who doesn’t even give a flip about God, gets a big raise at work, drives into the garage with a brand new SUV, and takes a cruise to Cozumel with his wife for their second anniversary off the bonus he received last month?  You see him partying on Saturday nights and taking his boat to the lake on Sunday mornings.  As you wave to him on your way to church on Sunday morning, you think about the difference between your priorities and his.  As you write your tithe check for the offering during service, you think about the kind of vacation you could take with your spouse if you didn’t practice Biblical stewardship.  And yet, even as you release the check and drop it in the plate, you wonder how it can be that your neighbor who doesn’t love God seems to be so prosperous, so successful, while you  are faithful and obedient to God and still struggle to make all the ends meet and drive a car with high mileage, and never have the opportunity to get bonuses at work. And the cruise to Cozumel? You dream of doing something like that for your Silver Anniversary someday, let alone your second!  Your mind races at the injustice of it all.

Righteous indignation is not a new emotion.  Lots and lots of Christians have wrestled with it over the centuries.  In our piety, we cast dispersion on the wicked for the apparent prosperity they enjoy and wonder when they are going to be called to account for their rejection and disobedience to God.  We want to see them pay the piper for not being as good or godly as we are! Hmmm.

While we may be correct in our concern for the ungodly’s disregard for God, we’re totally incorrect to be comparing ourselves with them in order to make our deeds and our obedience seem more lofty or noble.  Take a moment right now to read Luke 18:9-14Luke 18:9-14
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
A Pharisee and a Tax Collector ⁹ Jesus told a story to some people who thought they were better than others and who looked down on everyone else: ¹⁰ Two men went into the temple to pray. e into the temple to pray: Jewish people usually prayed there early in the morning and late in the afternoon. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. f tax collector: See the note at . ¹¹ The Pharisee stood over by himself and prayed, g stood over by himself and prayed: Some manuscripts have “stood up and prayed to himself.” “God, I thank you that I am not greedy, dishonest, and unfaithful in marriage like other people. And I am really glad that I am not like that tax collector over there. ¹² I go without eating h without eating: See the note at . for two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all I earn.” ¹³ The tax collector stood off at a distance and did not think he was good enough even to look up toward heaven. He was so sorry for what he had done that he pounded his chest and prayed, “God, have pity on me! I am such a sinner.” ¹⁴ ; . Then Jesus said, “When the two men went home, it was the tax collector and not the Pharisee who was pleasing to God. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.”

WP-Bible plugin.

When you think about all the people you know who don’t give God the time of day and yet seem to enjoy a level of happiness or satisfaction that you don’t, remember a few things:

1) As a follower of Jesus, regardless of what you may or may not enjoy in this life, an eternal reward awaits you far beyond the shine and glimmer of any temporal allure earth has to offer.  You are not to be laying up your treasures here on earth, but in heaven.  (Matthew 6:19-21Matthew 6:19-21
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Treasures in Heaven ¹⁹ Don't store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. ²⁰ . Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. ²¹ Your heart will always be where your treasure is.

WP-Bible plugin)  This life is not the end-game.  This life is the dress rehearsal, the precursor, the staging area for where you’ll spend eternity.  And what you do now has everything to do with where you’ll be later!

2) What eternal good would it do you to have it all in this life, and lose it all in the next?  (Mark 8:36Mark 8:36
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
36 What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself?

WP-Bible plugin)

3) Anyone who does not give their heart to Jesus before drawing their last breath in this world will spend eternity separated from Him.  No matter how much the ungodly may prosper now, if they die before they commit their life to Jesus, this is the only heaven they will ever know.  What I mean by that is, this life is as good as it gets for them!  How incredibly sad that is!! A second house at the beach or in the mountains that was acquired through unscrupulous business practices versus a mansion above the clouds? I know which one is more valuable to me.

4) We all deserve hell.  God’s grace is freely offered to all because it is God’s desire that everyone have a relationship with Him.  He is loving and patient.  Let me emphasize again that God is patient!

But you must not forget, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.  The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think.  No, he is being patient for your sake.  He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent.

2 Peter 3:8-92 Peter 3:8-9
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
8 . Dear friends, don't forget that for the Lord one day is the same as a thousand years, and a thousand years is the same as one day. ⁹ The Lord isn't slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.

WP-Bible plugin

God really does love mankind, and every moment that He delays His return is another opportunity that those who don’t know Him have to yield to Him.  Rather than longing for God’s justice to be enacted, we should pray for all of our unbelieving loved ones and acquaintances that they would recognize their need for God before it is too late.  We should thank God for the grace we’ve already experienced from Him and for the patience He’s exercising on behalf of those who haven’t reached that point yet!

God, in His perfect knowledge and timing, will return and call everyone to account.  Those who have lived for Him will live eternally with Him, those who did not love Him prior to that day, will spend eternity separated from Him.

But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief.  Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment.

2 Peter 3:102 Peter 3:10
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
10 ; ; . The day of the Lord's return will surprise us like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a loud noise, and the heat will melt the whole universe. e the whole universe: Probably the sun, moon, and stars, or the elements that everything in the universe is made of. Then the earth and everything on it will be seen for what they are. f will be seen for what they are: Some manuscripts have “will go up in flames.”

WP-Bible plugin

If you have time, read the rest of 2 Peter 3, and then take a few minutes to thank God for the fact that He’s already revealed the truth of His mercy to you.  Then pray for those around you who don’t understand God’s mercy and love for them yet.  Pray that God can use you to help them experience what you have.  One of the quickest ways to diffuse any piety or jealousy you may be feeling toward someone else is to pray for them!

The verses at the opening of this devotion were spoken by Habakkuk.  Ironically he was complaining about how frustrated he was having to witness the sin and violence around him.  As if God was blind to it and didn’t see SO MUCH MORE of it from His vantage point!  By the end of Habakkuk’s conversation with God a couple chapters later, he was breaking out in song, praising God for His sovereignty.  We all could take a lesson from that!