Jesus said,…”I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me….” (John 14:6)
Habakkuk had three major problems with God. First, it seemed to him that God didn’t care. Second, it seemed God was not doing much when he could. Third, it seemed that God was not fair. “Habakkuk” in Hebrew means to “wrestle” or “embrace,” and as we study the book of Habakkuk, we see that embracing and wrestling with God is exactly what we should do if we are going to grow in our faith when we have a crisis of belief. Some people, when what they see does not line up with what they believe, simply abandon God. Others try to deny that there is any problem. Still others wrestle and cling to God and hang on until God gives them an answer. This, we learn from Habakkuk is the right response, for it results in a relationship with God that is much more intimate, trusting and secure than it ever could be had God not allowed the crisis of faith to arise.
Ernest Hemingway comes to mind as one who chose the wrong route in dealing with a crisis of faith. He once said of his life: “I live in a vacuum that is as lonely as a radio tube when the batteries are dead, and there is no current to plug into.”
This is a startling statement, given the fact that Hemingway’s life would be the envy of anyone who had bought the values of our modern society. Hemingway was known for his tough-guy image and globetrotting. He was a big-game hunter, a bullfighter, a man who could drink the best of them under the table. He was married four times and lived his life seemingly without moral restraint or conscience. Despite living the life many in our day would consider as the life, He was so miserable that he finally took his own life.
There was another side to Hemingway’s life, one that few know about. He grew up in an evangelical Christian home. His grandparents were missionaries, and his father was a devoted churchman and friend of evangelist D. L. Moody. Hemingway’s family conformed to the strictest codes of Christianity, and as a boy and young man, he was active in his church.
Then came World War I. As a war correspondent, Hemingway saw death and despair firsthand. His youthful enthusiasm for Christianity soured, and Hemingway eventually rejected the faith he had once claimed.
While we don’t know all that transpired in Hemingway’s heart, it seems he never developed a truly personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Genuine Christianity means more than living in a Christian environment, going through confirmation, conforming to the codes, and affirming the truths of Scripture. True Christians are non-negotiated followers of Christ living in an ongoing, personal relationship with Him. Any healthy relationship involves communication. Questions must be asked and honest answers sought.
The point is not Hemingway’s life. It’s my life and your life. If we aren’t living in a vital, personal, ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ, then we, too, may respond as Hemingway did when life’s questions are agonizingly unanswerable or when our inner impulses are too seductive for us to resist. An allegiance based on systems, rituals, and rules is never enough to sustain us. It is only as we truly accept that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and live embracing that daily that we know His sustaining presence, power, and peace.
May His power, presence and peace be with you this day!
Leave a Comment