When we read or hear about all that is going on in our world today, we can be tempted

to wonder where is God. Why doesn't he seem to care? But God is always at work, and today

on Truth For Life, we'll learn what to do when God's timing and tolerance for wickedness

doesn't match our own. Alistair Begg is teaching from the book of Habakkuk in chapter

one, we're beginning with verse five. Although Habakkuk lived long ago and far away,

he introduces us to a timeless issue, because as his prophecy opens, he's wrestling

with the apparent inactivity of God in the face of injustice, violence, and destruction. His

questions to God are straightforward, he's been praying, but he's growing weary. And so in verse

two, he asks the Lord, how long is it going to be that he has to keep coming to him in prayer,

looking for an answer? And from the perspective of the prophet, there is a problem here

as far as God's timing is concerned. The prophet knew well enough that when God established his

covenant with his people, he promised that blessings would accompany their obedience,

but he also promised that their disobedience would be followed by curses and by judgment.

If you want to read of that for yourselves, you can read the whole of chapter 28 of

Deuteronomy. It runs to some 60 verses or so, but essentially that is all that it is saying.

God is saying to his people, if you will obey me, I will bless you and prosper you. If you

disobey me, then curses will come down upon you and judgment will face you inevitably.

And so the prophet, knowing that, is essentially saying, so what are you doing?

You said back in Deuteronomy that if we stepped out of line, if your people were out of line,

if they were involved in wickedness, you would do something, but apparently you are not doing

anything. How long is this going to go on? Not only did he have a problem with God's timing,

but he had a problem as verse three makes clear with God's tolerance. Why are you tolerating wrong?

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