Habakkuk #8—Quiet Profit

What profit is the carved image when its maker has carved it? … Woe to him who says to the wood, “Awake!” … But The Eternal is in his holy temple; hush before him all the earth. Habakkuk 2:18–20

Physics frustrates god-makers. We can’t get more energy out of a device than we put into it. Nor can we expect a creation to produce output unless we continue to provide input. As complex as a locomotive is, we don’t expect it to pull cars across the country unless we provide fuel to turn the generators which charge the batteries. As clever as an airplane is, we don’t expect it to fly unless we sustain its flight with fuel. Since we are creatures, and since creatures are always dependent on their creator; making and sustaining our own gods is a losing proposition. On the other hand, The Eternal is extravagantly self-sustaining. According to his perfect wisdom and by his infinite power, he exists so that he has infinite, unexcelled and irreplaceable worth. By not boasting in our creations, all his benefits can be ours. He will show us a pathway of living that will lead us into his presence so we can receive from his hand pleasures forever. Quietly placing confidence for our futures in the promise of his self-sufficiency will be infinitely profitable.

O Lord, you made me and sustain me. You are God and I am not. Let me open my mouth only in humble prayer or joyful praise, for in quietness and rest is my strength. Amen