The prophet Habakkuk is disturbed by all he experiences: How long, o Lord, must I cry for help, and you do not intervene? The people of Judah know that the Babylonian invasion is imminent; Habakkuk speaks of destruction and violence, strife and clamorous discord. The general sentiment is one of frustration at God’s ostensible abandonment of Judah. But God’s response to Habakkuk is clearly meant to reassure: God’s plan will not disappoint, even if the people have to wait for it. They may have to lose everything and be sent into exile, but they will return, and should be patient with the Lord; they should trust God, for the just one, because of his faith, shall live. They must, as Psalm 95 exhorts, harden not their hearts, but should bow down in worship and praise God, not because God does what they want, but because ultimately, God is and will continue to be the Rock of their salvation who has sustained them and will continue to sustain them through all.
Even with Jesus physically present with them, the apostles in Luke’s Gospel need to ask him, Increase our faith. Faith is always a free gift from God; it is not theirs to wield or control, but to open themselves to, to accept. Unlike the unprofitable servants of which Jesus speaks, we must not expect God to be grateful that we have followed his commands; rather, we should participate in all God has called us to do, open to his will, and true to his call. For faith is not about how much we can control our existence; faith is trust in the Lord who controls it – even when we don’t understand what he is going to do.
Timothy knew such frustration firsthand. He has been given the gift of God through the imposition of Paul’s hands, and is now leader of the Christian community at Ephesus. But his role is called into question because he is young. Paul exhorts Timothy to take the faith he has received and trust it will be enough to allow him to bear his share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God. If it is God’s love that drives us, we cannot fail; if we hold to his spirit of love, our faith will be stirred into flame as Timothy’s was. Such faith, though it be merely the size of a mustard seed, makes the impossible possible, and that faith, a free gift from God, is enough, always.
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
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