Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“O Lord, I have heard of your renown, and I stand in awe, O Lord, of your work. In our own time revive it; in our own time make it known; in wrath may you remember mercy.”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, December 2, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
It sounds as though God’s people have forgotten. Habakkuk is praying to God like a long-lost being, whose renown has fallen into distant memory. And perhaps that’s what was happening during Habakkuk’s time. Clearly the prophet is haranguing the people for turning to idols in their day to day life. Perhaps society as a whole has forgotten what it is to be Jewish; is not following the laws of Moses at all. I’m not enough of a biblical-historical scholar to know off the top of my head. But the sentiment is clear. God has fallen out of favor with the people—has been, if not forgotten, at least put on a shelf somewhere. Habakkuk prays that God would show up again in a big way, and make it clear to everyone that God’s the one in charge. Oh, and God, if you come in anger because we’ve forgotten all about you, please remember mercy—we’re human beings. We forget.
As we move through Advent with expectant hearts and minds, we would do well to acknowledge our tendency to forget, and remember that God is merciful. It won’t be long before we celebrate God showing up and reminding us who God is in the biggest, most spectacular, most world-changing way possible—and yet in the humble semi-dark of a stable.
What helps me to remember to put God front and center in my life as I prepare for Christmas?