Habakkuk in the mountains

Yesterday I went with a Guatemalan friend to visit some communities up in the mountains north of Tecpan. He has been working with these communities and churches for about 12 years - and remembers when you could only get there on a motorbike, (it was still difficult with a 4x4). It's also a place where there had been a lot of guerrilla activity during the 36years of civil war here. As a response the army murdered whole villages and burnt them to the ground. My friend pointed out where he knew there's a cladistine grave where many of these were dumped. Now many of these villages continue to live in extreme poverty -- with many divided families as a result of the war and work migration.

We met pastors in some of these villages -- one pastor who had had to sell his motorbike recently due to the economic crisis -- but who continued to visit and preach the revolutionary good news of Jesus in other villages -- walking 7 hours to one village where he knew the pastor was sick - to be with him and minister to his family.

We read some of Habakkuk together...

God, How long do I have to cry out for help before you listen?
How many times do I have to yell, "Help! Murder! Police!" before you come to my rescue?
Why do you force me to look at evil, stare trouble in the face day after day?
Anarchy and violence break out, quarrels and fights all over the place.
Law and order fall to pieces.
Justice is a joke.
The wicked have the righteous hamstrung and stand justice on it's head.
(Habakkuk 1: 1-4, The Message translation of the Bible)

This is definitely something that Guatemalans can relate to - recently there's been an increase in the number of lynchings -- one where a community stormed the police station where 2 people accused of being members of an gang that was extorting money from local businesses etc, were being held. The police and army took several hours to regain control of the situation, which ended with the 2 accused and one police officer dead and 2 police vehicles burnt out. The community says that although the police arrest criminals, within 2 or 3 days, they are often released and back threatening the community members. For them justice has definitely become a joke.

Habakkuk continues -talking of situations when crops fail and natural disasters happen -- all very close to home for these rural villages.

But we read on...
Though the cherry trees don't blossom and the strawberries don't ripen
Though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted,
Though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty,
I'm singing joyful praise to God.
I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my Saviour God.
Counting on God's Rule to prevail, I take heart and gain strength.
I run like a deer.
I feel like I'm king of the mountain!
(Habakkuk 3: 17-19 The Message translation of the Bible)

That's the response of so many Christians here -- choosing to look for God on the move in their communities and neighbourhoods -- choosing to rejoice in God's goodness in the midst of violence and disaster -- choosing to trust that God is building his reign in this place -and choosing to be a part of that hope rather than despair.