Habakkuk #9—Saving Judgment

You marched through the earth in fury; you tread on the nations in anger. You went forth to save your people. Habakkuk 3:12–13

When we fear The Eternal, we need never fear for eternity. The ungodly in every nation will rage against God and present themselves as fearful, but our infinitely wise and powerful defender will never fail us. We need not fear the enemies of God. No plot or plan will ever succeed against him. The puny insufficiencies of created beings cannot turn aside God’s grand design. Our bodies may succumb in our struggles against sinners, but we will be saved and raised to a new life characterized by righteousness and grace. The fear of the Eternal is the beginning of wisdom. So, we do not fear human beings who can only kill the body; rather, we fear the One who has power to cast body and soul into hell. For as we cry out to him for righteousness and justice to prevail, we can go forward knowing that he has heard our cry and will surely not delay long over us. He will bring about justice and salvation, and that speedily. The question is Will he find us to be faithful when he executes his judgment? Will we be patient enough to wait for him with hope in our hearts and joy in our souls? If we fear God’s hatred of sin enough now to run to him for salvation, his sword of judgment will protect us forever.

Holy God, let your righteous love for your infinite glory draw me and keep me in its passionate embrace. Amen