The original verse comes from Habakkuk 2:4, which is an Old Testament prophetic book written by the prophet Habakkuk to the people of Judah around 600 BC.
The full verse is, “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4, NKJV).
Another translation, the NIV, phrases it this way: “See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright — but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.”
I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. “See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright — but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness — indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied,
he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples. “Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin! (Habakkuk 2:2-5,9)
The just shall live by his faith, was written at a time when Israel was in exile in Babylonian captivity.
As I awoke with these verses, they really spoke to my heart. Let us expound a bit - Who is the just?
In addition to “just,” other Bible translations use phrases like “the righteous,” “those who are good,” “those who are right with God,” “the person of integrity,” or “the person who is godly.”
These are people who walk with the Lord, who are not perfect, but who strive to follow His ways and don’t stray from His teachings or commands.
These words speak to us today as we are confronted daily with the "perils" of these times.
What will quiet our hearts in these times?
Knowing that we've proved God's faithfulnes before, anything that we've walked through God has made it beautiful in his time. These "perils" have only strengthened our faith in God. Every situation we've walked through has caused us to grow in God, grow in character, gain strength and wisdom and prepare us well for heaven.
We can walk through these experiences, because we have insight as to what God said. We know the end will be good. We cannot explain how, but we are assured that:
Romans 8:28
And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose
Amen
I pray for God's peace and joy to reign in our hearts no matter what we face. May we continue in faith knowing that having faith is the only way to please God.
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