The earth will be filled

Habbakuk 2:14

For the earth will be filled 

with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord 

as the waters cover the sea. 

I like this promise, 'the earth WILL be filled' gives assurance, certainty that something will happen. It's a promise of something to look forward to. The Earth will be full of it, you won't be able to get away from it, it'll be everywhere. It'll be tangible, visible and  it'll completely cover the Earth. The Earth will be brimming with it.

Brimming with what? 

'The Knowledge of the glory of the Lord' 

Somehow, one day, the whole world will; understand, emanate, display, appreciate and be full of the wonder and awesomeness of God!

Conversation with God

I've started reading Habbakuk. I've gotta say, I like this dude. He has no bones about telling God what he REALLy thinks! I love the 'all out there' comments he makes - it's like he says to God, "Hey, what you playing at? All this stuff is going on, what are you doing?" 

Here are some examples of what I mean in the first chapter alone, (I've added my own interpretation of what I think he's saying below each verse);

V2: "O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, 

and you will not hear? 

Or cry to you “Violence!” 

and you will not save?"

(hey I'm here, screaming at you for help, where are you? What are you doing? I need rescuing)

V3 "Why do you make me see iniquity, 

and why do you idly look at wrong?"

(I can see all this bad stuff going on, why do I have to look at it? Why aren't you doing anything?)

V12 "Are you not from everlasting, 

O Lord my God, my Holy One?"

(Aren't you the one who lives forever? The boss? The one who's completely pure?)

V13 "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 can't even look at all the bad stuff because you're so perfect, so why do you look at people who stab each other in the back? You don't say anything when evil people come against your people, the wicked are treading down your followers, why are you quiet about it?)

Now, what do you think about how Habbakuk speaks to God? 

Seems pretty outrageous doesn't it? Or does it seem normal to you? Is this the way you approach God? If so, good. Habbakuk is honest and upfront. He tells God exactly what he thinks, and he expects God to answer, check out the first verse in Chapter 2; "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."

Habbakuk expects a response, a conversation when he approaches God, do you? 

He doesn't just present his complaints and lack of understanding and walk off, but he waits. He expects God to get back to him, and he waits and looks out for the answer - do you? Or do you kind of pray n run? Do your duty of telling God what you want and think and then whizz off to the next thing? Do you ask God to get back to you? Do you expect him to?

We can be good at what we consider prayer to be - pouring out our feelings, asking for what we want and think we need, even petitioning God about injustice and crime. However, do we expect God to get back to us? do we ask God for what we REALLY want, and what we REALLy don't understand? 

As I read this book I am wondering if we all have the same expectation of a relationship with God as Habbakuk did. Do we expect to be able to pour out our frustrations, our understanding of who God is and our experiences? Do you ever tell God that although He is holy and pure and just, that you haven't a clue what he's doing? It's ok to do that, to tell God how you really think and feel, Habbakuk didn't hold back, but he knew he and God were tight. His expectation was to have a conversation. What's yours when you pray? 

unbelievable

Habakkuk 1:5

'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.'

What a wonderful promise! 

When the world can seem a distressing disaster, we can still see that God is up to something! 

What do you see in this world today that leaves you, 'in wonder and astounded?'

God is doing more than we can see or imagine. His work is unbelievable! 

Sometimes when we are desperate we can forget that God is working. He is fulfilling his purposes. He is preparing outcomes that are incredible, so look around and be full of wonder. Be ready to be astounded, because what's coming, 'you would not believe if told.'

Real relationship

Philippians 2:4-8

"4 let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.'

ESV

'Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.'

Message version

'5In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6Who, being in very nature^a God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature^b of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!'

NIV

These verses can seem confusing - that's why I've put three versions here. I find it helps me to figure out what's being said.

The first thing I realise as I read these verses is the reality, for Jesus, of the decision he made. He wasn't forced or coerced into doing this, living and dying the way he did. The incredible truth is that Jesus, who could have claimed the highest position in human history and rightfully receive the greatest glory, didn't. 

Instead, he was poorly treated, demeaned, humiliated, abandoned and tortured. Jesus chose that. 

He chose to give up his power and glory to suffer, be tortured and die. Why on Earth would he do that???

What an incredible man, what a humble, kind, generous, completely loving man to do that. To give up everything he had previously had access to. 

Jesus also had to let go of the perfect relationship he had with the Father. He had; awesome power, total glory, peace, love, equality. Everything we could hanker after Jesus had. Then he came into this world to experience humanity. He chose to put aside perfect relationship with the Father and experience what relationship with us faulty, selfish humans was like.

This is what these verses are actually about, relationships. Our relationships. The depth of the relationship God wants with us. The type of relationships that Jesus modelled.

The NIV says we are to have the same mindset as Jesus in our relationships. Firstly, he never considered his relationship with God to be a self-gratifying one. You know, a relationship where we are only in it for what we get out of it. A mindset which thinks that we can get God to do whatever we like and that we should get whatever we want. Jesus, who is God's own son didn't even think he could do that, so why do we think we can? 

These verses also consider our relationships with one another. Jesus modelled how to be in relationships. In fact, uncomfortably, these verses say that Jesus was a slave to others. He lived humbly, selflessly and obediently. Jesus didn't do what he wanted to do. The son of the almighty God, the one who is in all creation, who knows how many starts there are, he chose not to do what he wanted, but to do what was best for us. Us sinful, degraded, proud humans who walk around like we know it all and have no need of anyone else let alone some kind of God. Jesus demonstrated such great love for you and me, he gave up all he rightfully had to become what you needed him to be. How are you being what others need you to be?

You can't be Jesus, but what can you do?...

'Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.'

'let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.'

'In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus'