Why does God keep hitting foul balls?

While preparing for an activity-filled day, I quieted myself, meditating on a truth too complex and far-reaching. Most of the time I am certain that God is good, powerful and all-knowing, But occasionally I am confused with how an all-wise God acts as He does. For instance, I think that God could arrange one day each week when there is nothing but good news to report, a kind of Sabbath rest from the grimy and grizzly gore of gratuitous evil. Wouldn’t you love to open a newspaper and read about how neighbors rallied around the noble causes of the community’s non-profits and fully funded each of the charities for the next three months? I would!

In my musing moments Habakkuk visited as he has done recently, early in the morning. Over a cup of Starbucks medium house blend the prophet and I considered the perplexing questions, "How long . . . must I call for help?" and, "Why do you make me look . . . ?" "Hab," my nickname for my prophet friend, asked the questions almost 3000 years ago. People like me, Evangelicals, believe that Hab’s questions were inserted into the Bible by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, God Himself! Since God allowed Habakkuk to meander and muse over the imponderables, I thought that He would be patient with me too!

While Hab and I slowly and silently sipped away at the morning joe, I heard the voice of the One who speaks in silence, the One who probes and promises with awe-inspiring answers. Habakkuk, a preacher who was intrusted with knowledge about the future, heard Him in the silence and wrote, "Look at the nations and watch-- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." (Habakkuk 1:5 NIV) Yea God! You are going to hit a home run and I will be talking about it for at least 50 years! Just a minute, give me a few minutes to gather my friends to watch you work!

I immediately believe that God will prompt a rich person to donate enough millions to fund important ministries I embrace passionately and I will rest peaceably squandering time reading air head novels and using my Social Security check to buy some toys pictured in woodworking magazines. If God hits the home run my friend Marvin will not die of Lou Gehrig’s disease Have you ever thought like that? Most have! That is why television preachers promise to share spiritual secrets in their latest book or DVD. (They are almost always free, for a gift of $20 or more.) Sure, I’d rather be the head than the tail! Instinctively, from deep within the core of my original greediness, I begin to celebrate the divine home run! God is coming through! It’s so good I won’t be able to believe it!

And then, the prophet continues his recollection of what God said to him in the silence, "I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling places not their own." (1:6) What kind of home run is that? It seems a lot more like "Casey at the Bat!" There will be no joy in Mudville tonight!¹

But understanding isn’t a requirement when musing with the Eternal God who made all, knows all, is present always, and is forever loving and redemptive. The legacy of Babylon continues to hold sway over the whole of creation. Babylonian rashness, rudeness, riotousness and ruination are still known and documented. CNN, ABC, CBC, NBC, FOX and others all send convoys of cameras. Investigative reporters drop into chaotic scenes. Experts on social pathology gather in studios to explain what happened and why. You see, it keeps happening! God is at work but because we prefer home runs to foul balls, we lament. But, the Eternal One is employing the mischief of Babylon to His own purposes.

As I mused with Hab this morning I was comforted with the knowledge that God never wastes time. He is the epitome of efficiency, always making everything work out for good – always has, always will. (Reading all of Romans 8 helps one come to that conclusion.)

I believe God’s purpose in turning the Babylonian spirit loose in the world ought to remind us to look up. Look for the fulfillment of His eternal plans and purposes. Be bold and expect the promise. Serious followers of Jesus read the Revelation and wonder about images, sequences and meanings. We are also convinced that the Spirit is delivering good news! Great news! While some argue about fine points and remote inferences my pulse quickens when I hear the New Testament prophet, John. Babylon is there, acting up, acting up throughout history. In the middle of all the chaos John comforts Habakkuk and me with a powerful promise, "Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again." (Revelation 18:21 NIV) I don’t need to know the name of the angel or the symbolism of the boulder. I need to remember that my God knows how to handle Babylon!