Where God's Vision Resides

I hate violence. I hate war. I hate injustice. I want people to stop hurting each other and to stop hating each other. I recently became aware of a non profit organization called Falling Whistles, which seeks to raise awareness of the plight of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Child soldiers who are too young/small to carry a gun are sent into battle armed with only a whistle. The description of the level of violence and mistreatment described on the organization's website is shocking, even to our Western violence saturated minds. If you want your mind blown, visit www.fallingwhistles.com.

Today I stood on my figurative watchtower and asked that Yahweh explain Himself for his failure to intervene to address violence and injustice both right here in Tennessee and abroad. Over 2500 years ago the prophet Habakkuk stood on his own watchtower and asked Yahweh to offer an explanation for His refusal to address the enormous injustice and violence in his own day--the violence of the Babylonians, and the violence within Israel itself.

Yahweh response to Habakkuk, and to us, is to first challenge the notion that God has not already intervened. God's intervention is by placing His vision of peace, forgiveness, and justice within our hearts. Habakkuk's question was the answer to Habakkuk's question. God intervened by instilling within Habakkuk a yearning for justice. God has intervened in the injustices of our world today by placing God's vision of the Kingdom within us. And then God responds by taking our place on our own watchtower and asking us the same question that we have directed to God--why have you not intervened?