The righteous shall live by faith

I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the lookout tower. I will watch to see what he will say to me and what I should[a] reply about my complaint. The Lord answered me: Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it testifies about the end and will not lie. Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late. Look, his ego is inflated; he is without integrity. But the righteous one will live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:1-4 Habakkuk was baffled and perplexed and he was seeking answers from God. His complaint was that God seemed to ignore the blatant rebellion of wicked people and instead of repudiating them, they seemed to be blessed with prosperity (see Habakkuk 1:12-17). He was asking God to provide Him answers and resolution to his dilemma. He knew that he will not be the only one raising up such complaint. He was seeking wisdom from God so he could convey to people the answer they too would like to hear. He needed help from God. He wanted to remain strong and true to his conviction that the “righteous one will live by his faith.” This means that his spiritual conviction should be founded upon his trust in God and His word. He took it upon his shoulder the responsibility for those who were given under his care. He has to keep watch on possible threat lurking around. His task was critical that the people should be alerted as soon as possible to what was coming. When we came to know Christ as Lord and Savior, God placed us as a guard for ourselves, our friends, our family, and our church family. This is why we have to be attentive to what God is saying. In His word, we could find words of encouragement and wisdom for those who will need them. Let us not allow others to miss the encouraging promise from God that He wanted to share through us. We are accountable as God’s watchman. “But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn’t sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their captivity” (Ezekiel 33:6). Let us strive to be alert to every word that comes to us from God. Our continued persistence in hearing from God through His word will benefit us and those around us as we follow God’s warnings and follow His commands. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25).

Blessings,

Noel De Guzman

www.my-wbc.com