Trusting in the Unseen
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
Habakkuk 3:17-18
This time of year, why do tree leaves change from green to vibrant colors and then fall to the ground only to dry up? As summer winds down, trees begin to prepare for the winter because the longer days of summer, which allow for more light and the process of photosynthesis, begin to wane. Trees literally begin to rest by cutting back on their food-making processes. The green chlorophyll is “drained” from the leaves as the tree begins to live off the food it has stored during the summer months.
As the green goes away from the leaves and the vibrant colors of red, yellow, orange, purple appear, did you know that the colors are there all along, but simply not visible because the green chlorophyll is dominant? Eventually, the nourishment in the leaves completely withdraws, so they dry up and fall to the ground. Fortunately, we also know that is not the end of the trees’ life — it is just a season in its life cycle.
It is not much of a leap to my next point: much of the latter part of the Old Testament is made up of books of the Prophets — there are what Biblical Scholars call “Major Prophets” (think Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) and “Minor Prophets” (think Obadiah, Micah, Nahum). Essentially the work of the prophets had three parts — to tell God’s people (or the nations) when they had turned from God, to call them to return to God, and when they did not, and all seemed lost, to remind them that – despite all appearances, there was still reason to rejoice. Such is the case with the brief passage from the Habakkuk above.
The nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms over (a vast understatement here) leadership. Over time, both nations and their leaders turned from God. Prophets came with warning after warning that turning away from God also meant impending doom. Other, godless nations would defeat and destroy what had taken so long to build up — and, indeed, those prophecies came to pass. The northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722 B.C., and the southern Kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians in 587 B.C. Everything seemed lost. Habakkuk describes the desolation throughout his own contribution to the Scriptures in three short chapters.
And yet, nestled into all the bad news, there is some good — in fact, it is so good, it becomes a pillar throughout the rest of the Judeo-Christian story, “… the just shall live by faith.”1 An important part of Abraham's story was from before his name changed (from Abram to Abraham), the moment when he “trusted” in God. The Bible tells us when Abram “believed” — God credited it to Him as righteousness.2 In Habakkuk, as we come to the close of the Old Testament, we get another whisper that faith is really the bedrock of a relationship with God. It is not so much what one experiences or sees, but more of what he or she believes — even when all evidence to the contrary prevails. Habakkuk reminds the southern Kingdom that though everything they knew to be good about their life and nation was being wiped away before their eyes, they should still rejoice in the Lord and still trust in God. They could not live by what their eyes saw – if they did, they would be utterly devastated; instead – they lived by faith.
If an alien were to land on planet Earth as autumn’s final days came to an end, it would have absolutely no idea that what appeared to be dried up, dead or dying brown trees would one day again be covered with full, green foliage, which breath oxygen into our world.
God uses His prophets to remind us always to trust in God — when things seem at their worst it means God is not done yet. It is something we see time and time again throughout all of Scripture — with its consummate moment being Jesus’ Resurrection. No one on Good Friday, not even the Apostles, expected Easter Sunday. Love Divine had been crucified — Love Divine Rose from the Grave.
What desolation are you facing today? What death rests before you? Does all seem lost? There is a way ahead — trust, trust in the Unseen. Trust in God. The Just shall live by faith.
Thomas Merton once wrote, “Ultimately, faith is the only key to the universe. The final meaning of human existence, and the answer to the questions on which all our happiness depends cannot be found in any other way.” It is a beautiful passage, but we can sometimes find faith – that trust in the unseen – to be a hard beginning place. You are not alone. Remember when a father came to Jesus and asked Him to heal his son? Jesus said, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” The man exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”3
Perhaps if you need more faith – you just need to ask for it. Martin Luther wrote, “Believing in God means getting down on your knees.” Well?
A Prayer
While faith is with me, I am blest;
It turns my darkest night to day.
But, while I clasp it to my breast,
I often feel it slide away.
What shall I do if all my love,
My hope, my toil, are cast away?
And if there be no God above
To hear and bless me when I pray?
Oh, help me, God! For Thou Alone
Canst my distracted soul relieve.
Forsake it not: it is Thine own,
Though weak, yet longing to believe.
Oppressed with sin and woe,
A burdened heart I bear;
Opposed by many a might foe,
Yet I will not despair.
With this polluted heart,
I dare to come to Thee –
Holy and mighty as Thou art –
For Thou wild pardon me.
I feel that I am weak,
And prone to every sin;
But Thou, Who giv’st to those who seek,
Wilt give me strength within.
I need not fear my foes;
I need not yield to care;
I need not sink beneath my woes,
For Thou wilt answer prayer.
In my Redeemer’s name,
I give myself to Thee;
And, all unworthy as I am,
My God will cherish me.
Amen.
Anne Brontë, d. 1849.
1 Habakkuk 2:4.
2 Genesis 15:6.
3 Mark 9:23-24.
