The Complaint Manager
I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait and see what the LORD says and how he will answer my complaint. — Habakkuk 2:1, NLT
You can imagine this verse is throwing some serious heat, some “tone” as we say in my circles.
The better question we should ask is not who does Habakkuk think he is coming off like this; it’s who does Habakkuk think God is.
When it comes to complaints, which Habakkuk dishes earlier, I picture that boxy room just off the main entrance of all megastores. You know the one. If it were completely surrounded by water, this industrially-lit space would be like the isle of misfit toys in the seasonal sensation, Rudolf, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This room is where all the stuff no one wants is returned.
Behind that long counter heaped with damaged dreams or imperfections is the One at the register. This is God, the complaint manager.
When it comes to complaining, I see two kinds of people: those who do and those who do not complain to God. Like Habakkuk, I’m a complainer. I quickly (and sometimes loudly) tell God exactly what’s wrong.
Others are far more advanced. Either they know how God is, good and gracious and loving, or they’ve stopped their complaints. Their deeply-seated hurts are silent. The silent ones break my heart because in my grumbles and groans, I always learn God is good, gracious and loving.
I learn something else. It is right to come to God when, like Habakkuk, I see the injustices in the world because I can do what he did, which is climb up to my watchtower, stand at my guardpost, and wait. Our Complaint Manager hears us and will answer.
PRAYER: May we, who live not on an isle but in a world of misfits, be reminded that we can always bring our troubles to You, our Lord. Amen.
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