Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from June 20-26 are written by Pastor Andrew Kim at Tapestry Church. Andrew, a graduate of Eternity Bible College, is currently attending Fuller Theological Seminary. He and Jessie were married in 2014.
Devotional Thought for Today
Habakkuk 2:20
“But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”
Viktor Frankl, a psychologist and a holocaust survivor, made an interesting observation during his imprisonment. He began to notice that those who held unto hope were more likely to survive. People who were filled with despair or hatred were more susceptible to death than those who held unto the hope of one-day reuniting with their family or seeing the Allies bring freedom. In other words, future hope gave them the fortitude and strength necessary to persevere and thrive even in the worst of conditions.
In the same way, we hear a promise that provides the necessary hope to endure the coming suffering for the people of Israel. In chapter two, we see a series of woes pronounced on the nation of Babylon. They are condemned for their violence upon the nations and their unjust manner of life. They are denounced for their profound idolatry as they worship speechless idols who cannot do anything for them. Although, they experience much success and power at the present time, God will establish justice and seek the welfare of the righteous. It is only a matter of time because God is the sovereign one, not the mighty empires of the earth. The people of Israel were called to hold onto this hope.
As Christians, we have been given a similar promise. No matter how much suffering is given to us at the present time, we know the end of the story. Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, the world is being redeemed and remade, and we are part of that new creation. Although our present sufferings might suggest that we are destined for a miserable ending, the story of God tells us that the ending is one of joy and victory. As Christians, we are called to hold onto this future hope in the present. It is what gives us the strength and joy necessary to follow Christ no matter the cost. It is what sustains us in our time of need. Let us rejoice that God has brought us into His story!
Prayer: God, I thank You for saving me from my own story and bringing me into Yours. Help me to live in light of your story rather than my own. Especially in times of trouble, give me an eternal perspective that draws strength from the hope given to me through Your gospel!
Bible Reading for Today: Psalm 88
The great reformer Martin Luther was incredibly self-aware, especially when it came to his own sinfulness. For this reason, he was constantly tormented in his conscience as he wondered whether he stood in God’s favor or wrath. He would try to remedy this problem by going to the priest for confession over and over again. It got so bad that the priest would tell him to stop coming unless he committed a terrible sin. No matter what religious duties Luther fulfilled, he never felt peace in his own conscience and no solace in his own works. However, through the grace of God, he stumbled upon Habakkuk 2:4 when studying through the book of Romans, and it provided the very freedom he so desperately needed.
After a back and forth conversation between Habakkuk and God in the first chapter, the prophet says that he will go to his watchpost and wait for God’s response. Instead of speaking his own thoughts and words to the people of Judah, he chooses to go to the tower in order to keep a watchful eye for God’s answer. Here, it is easy to see that Habakkuk understood his role as a prophet well. He was not charged to speak his own thoughts but to be God’s mouthpiece. And this meant learning how to listen well with an obedient posture—not insisting on his own ways but to allow God to determine the content of his words and actions.
Recently, U2 lead singer Bono met with theologian Eugene Peterson to discuss the Psalms and their significance. Both possessed a fondness for the Psalms. They marveled at its beauty and composition. However, what captured their hearts was its brutally honest nature. The psalmists never shied away from expressing exactly what was on their hearts, whether it was great joy, paralyzing confusion, or profound sorrow. There was no attempt to wear a mask before God, only a genuine vulnerability that laid it all out. And this is one reason why we sense that the psalmists’ relationship with God was marked by a real sense of intimacy and authenticity. It was not about appearing spiritual by praying the right words but about honestly inviting God into one’s interior life.
Through the years I’ve heard countless testimonies about God’s redemptive work in a person’s life. And here’s something I’ve noticed: a common thread that runs through each story is the subtle and surprising nature of God’s hand. For many, circumstances and events that seemed destructive in nature proved to be the very instrument of transformation. A career setback teaches us how to lean on God, or news of cancer in a family member cultivates within us a faith we never had. Numerous stories attest to the fact that God oftentimes does not use conventional and obvious means to bring about goodness in our lives.
Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from June 20-26 are written by Pastor Andrew Kim at Tapestry Church. Andrew, a graduate of Eternity Bible College, is currently attending Fuller Theological Seminary. He and Jessie were married in 2014.
About a year ago, someone broke into my wife’s car and stole the airbag. For those of you who don’t know, airbags are incredibly expensive and necessary for safety reasons. What made things worse was that this came after a string of bad luck with my wife’s car: battery problems, new tires were needed, and the car horn stopped working. With the bills adding up and no money to replace the airbag, it was a very frustrating time for us. We didn’t know how we were going to resolve this situation. Little did we know that God put it in the hearts of some people to buy an airbag for our car—it was a total surprise! Without us knowing, God was at work to help us in our need.
There are no shortages when it comes to examples of injustice in our world. From the recent Orlando shootings to other forms of terrorism—there is a surplus of evidence that exposes our inclination toward disorder and evil. In fact, news outlets never have to worry about running out of stories to report on because humanity will always supply them. Furthermore, these examples are not only found on the world stage but also within our own personal lives, where relational strife and deceit run rampant all around us. It goes without saying that we’ve all been touched in one form or another by the sinfulness of humanity.
There’s something about people who like to talk about themselves: what they have accomplished, bragging about all of their awards and accolades—and no one likes boastful people. I would guess that even boastful people don’t like other boastful people. So I doubt very few of us would admit to be boastful, because we’re not like those loudmouth, boastful people.
As you can see from the introduction earlier, my wife and I have an incredibly cute, newborn baby named Tyler, who is almost three months old. It has been an amazing and wonderful three months taking care of this little boy, but I’ll let you all in on a little secret… My wife and I are really tired. Again, it’s been a great and rewarding experience raising him, but with all the work it takes to take care of a baby, we grow weary. To confess even more, there are times where I would rather sleep, relax and watch TV, than wake up at 3am every day and change Tyler’s diaper and feed him. Even though I love my son, it’s not easy to keep on doing good.
We rarely have bad intentions—or at least we rarely would admit to having bad intentions. Whatever we do, we typically think that it’s okay, as long as our intentions are good. Andy Stanley has a great saying in his book, The Principle of the Path: “Direction, not intention, determines your destination.” His main observation is that we put too much weight on our good intentions, when really, it’s the direction in which we are going and the decisions we make that determine where we end up. For example, no one intends to fail out of school, but because they don’t study and play videogames all day, people are heading for that direction. No one wakes up one day and says, “I want to be a bad spouse!” but because they neglect their spouses in various ways, people are on a direction to have unhealthy marriages.