Police Devotion 8-17-2017

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

God had sent the prophet Habakkuk (pronounced Ha-bak’-kuk) to preach to the people of Judah, who had turned from God. Habakkuk was grieved at the wickedness he saw.  He wrote at the beginning of the book, “The burden [boldface added] which Habakkuk the prophet did see.” (Hab. 1:1) If he’s writing about a burden, he’s obviously not writing about something pleasant.

Habakkuk wrote of wickedness, greed, dishonesty, violence, idol worship, and lack of judgment by the leaders: “Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.” (Habakkuk 1:4) He also wrote God’s warning that He’d allow the Babylonians (Chaldeans) to invade and take over because the people had become so sinful.

Here’s a lesson for America–many in the U.S, leaders and common people, don’t care about the Lord, and sin is rampant. God let Judah endure hardship for their sin. He could also let America suffer because of our sin. “He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground; A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.” (Psalm 107:33-34)

Habakkuk spoke of problems with the crops and livestock: “…the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines;…there shall be no herd in the stalls:” Yet he ends with hope and optimism: “…Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk knew that one day it would be over and he’d be with God in an eternal land free of sin, death, and pain.

As a cop, you see daily how people live immorally, how their sin hurts themselves and their loved ones, and yet they do what they do. You also see how violent criminals bring destruction and pain to the lives of innocent citizens. Many people may not see violent crime as real and personal, just a news story: “Two people were shot to death tonight on Cleveland’s East Side, Police are looking for a suspect. And now, the weather…” As a cop, though, you learn just how malicious these servants of the devil really are.

Sometimes you may be hamstrung by bureaucratic restrictions put in place by people in power who don’t seem to care enough about people to take violent criminals seriously. As a result, innocent people get hurt, cops can’t do their job, and criminals run wild because “…wrong judgment proceedeth.”

Here’s the bright side: If you have Jesus as Saviour, you know that one day, all the wickedness of the world will end. One day you’ll see your Saviour in heaven, where the crime rate and sin rate are an absolute zero. So don’t ignore the problems on the job, handle them as best you can by God’s grace, but don’t let them bog you down spiritually. “Rejoice in the Lord ALWAY [“always”–capitals added]: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4) Hope in Christ will help you be optimistic in the face of trouble.

If you’ve not seen in the Bible how to be sure of heaven, please click “Helpful Links” on the main menu and then “How Do I Go to Heaven?” on the dropdown.

Brian Miller 8/17/2017

Cleveland Baptist Church | 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 | 216.671.2822